Limiting gas imports from Russia has thrust the country into its biggest energy crisis since the Second World War
Germany is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand is its decision to limit crude and gas imports from Russia. On the other, its industrial might is under threat. Berlin’s political decision to limit gas imports from Russia has thrust the country into its biggest energy crisis since the Second…
Producer and consumer nations targeting a price of around $90 a barrel
Oil markets are being pushed and pulled – from both ends. As conflicting factors weigh on the markets, the future crude scenario remains hazy and muddy. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, including Russia in the extended OPEC+, appear determined not to let the crude market prices go considerably below their target…
G7 agrees on devising a system that would only allow the sale of Russian oil at below-market prices
Well, they did it. During their virtual meeting last Friday, finance ministers from the G7 agreed on devising a system that would only allow the sale of Russian oil at below-market prices. “The price cap is specifically designed to reduce Russian revenues and Russia’s ability to fund its war of aggression whilst limiting the impact…
U.S. President Joe Biden desperately needs lower prices at American gas stations, especially in a mid-term election year
Speculation is growing about a deal between the United States and Iran reviving the stalled nuclear agreement, letting additional Iranian crude oil enter the markets. But efforts to sabotage the agreement are apparent. The return of Iranian crude is important to the United States for various reasons. U.S. President Joe Biden needs lower prices at…
Weaker-than-expected demand growth means the oil market is likely to remain in surplus into early next year, say analysts
Oil markets were under considerable pressure last week. Both Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices fell, with Brent futures settling at US$96.72 and WTI ending at US$90.77 per barrel. Both benchmarks fell about 1.5 per cent on the week, as future contract values dropped to their lowest level in seven months…
Two contrasting scenarios are emerging
Crude pundits are divided – literally on geopolitical lines, depicting the fault lines within the industry. Two contrasting scenarios are emerging. On one end is the demand gloom, while on the other is the possibility of a rise in global crude consumption. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is saying a fall in global…
The prospects of a global economic slowdown are beginning to hit oil demand
The much-awaited ministerial meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia, in the expanded OPEC+, opted to increase its September output by just 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). Despite the urgings of U.S. President Joe Biden to open Saudi Arabia’s crude oil taps during his visit there, the announced output…
Saudi Arabia isn’t ready to ditch Russia
After a brief lull and a price drop, crude oil markets are heating up again, surging by more than US$2 a barrel last week. The Aug. 3 expanded OPEC+ ministerial meeting, which includes Russia, is just around the corner. And signals from producing countries aren’t helping to stabilize the markets. In addition, the threat of…
An intense tug of war is being waged on the global crude horizon
Stakeholders continue to make interesting moves across the global energy chess board. Six days after U.S. President Joe Biden flew out of Saudi Arabia – without any public commitment from Riyadh to increase crude output significantly – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman spoke by phone, underlining the importance of…
Biden wanted more crude, Mohammed bin Salman needed recognition. The visit served both purposes
What did United States President Joe Biden gain from a trip that took him to Saudi Arabia, the state he once promised to make into the pariah he said it deserved to be? What did Biden get from meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he has avoided until now? In response to…
The driver of this bearish sentiment is an overly hawkish response by the Federal Reserve
Last week, the crude oil markets saw one of the most significant single-day price declines in history. Have the bulls retreated – perhaps for good? Tuesday’s oil price collapse could go down as one of the most memorable moments of the oil market’s tumultuous year, said Josh Owens in his piece for Oilprice.com. Although oil…
Analysts warn that prices could reach $380/barrel if existing penalties prompt Russia to make cuts
The crude oil world is in deep flux. Ongoing attempts by the G7 to put a price cap on Russian crude exports – almost an admission of its failure to curb the flow of petro-dollars to Moscow – also meant it needed to do more. But moving ahead with the proposal could result in global…
Bullish pressure on crude oil markets doesn’t seem to be easing
Crude oil prices fell last week, notching their second weekly decline in the face of concern that rising interest rates could push the global economy into recession. Yet the future of crude oil still seems bullish to many. Spare capacity, or lack of it, is just one of the reasons. The global surplus of crude…
The best bet remains to bring sanctioned Iranian oil back to the market
American gasoline prices have crossed the unprecedented US$5-a-gallon mark. American Automobile Association data shows prices at the pump are up roughly 60 per cent from a year ago. And prices in Canada are already more than $2 a litre. We are seeing new record prices around the world with each passing week. And no respite…
And we can blame political meddling
The crude oil world has inched into a crisis mode. The world faces a “much bigger” energy crisis than the one in the 1970s. Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told the German daily Der Spiegel in an interview last Tuesday. The IEA, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development…