China's Sinopec Starts Hiring for New Risk Management Unit
China Petrochemical Corp, or Sinopec Group, has started hiring for six top management positions for a new commodities risk management unit, according to a statement posted on the state energy company's official wechat account on Sunday.Formally known as Sinopec Chaoyang Risk Management Co and with a registered capital of 300 million yuan ($42.40 million), the new firm will provide financial services for the oil and chemical sector including hedging and inventory management, Sinopec said.The new entity was launched after…
Oil Prices Fall After Trump's Tariff Threat Against China
Oil prices fell on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would sharply raise tariffs on Chinese goods this week, risking the derailment of trade talks between the world's two biggest economies.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $61.68 per barrel at 1338 GMT, down 26 cents. WTI hit $60.04 earlier in the session, its lowest since March 29.Brent crude futures were broadly steady at $70.88 per barrel, having earlier hit its lowest since April 2 at $68.79.Trump said on Twitter on Sunday that he would hike U.S.
Oil Hits Five-month High
Oil prices rose to a five-month high on Monday, driven by expectations that global supplies would tighten due to fighting in Libya, OPEC-led cuts and U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela.International benchmark Brent futures rose 74 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $71.08 a barrel by 12:56 p.m. EDT (1656 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $1.19 to $64.27 a barrel, a 1.9 percent gain.Brent's session high of $71.16 a barrel and WTI's of $64.39 were the highest since November.Traders said prices extended gains after data from market intelligence firm Genscape showed crude stockpiles at Cushing…
Oil Prices Reach 2019 Highs
Oil prices rose to new 2019 highs on Tuesday, supported by OPEC supply cuts and falling output from Iran and Venezuela because of U.S. sanctions.Brent crude oil futures were up 16 cents at $67.70 a barrel at 1415 GMT, having earlier risen to a 2019 peak of $68.20, their highest since November 2018.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were at $59.17, up 8 cents from their last settlement. They also touched their highest since November at $59.57.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Monday scrapped its planned meeting in April…
Oil Rises On U.S.-China Trade Talk Optimism
Oil prices climbed around 3 percent on Wednesday as the extension of U.S.-China talks in Beijing raised hopes that the world's two largest economies would resolve their trade standoff.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were at $51.36 per barrel at 1500 GMT, up $1.58, or 3.17 percent, the first time this year that WTI has topped $50.International Brent crude futures were up $1.63, or 2.78 percent, at $60.35 per barrel.Both crude price benchmarks added to Tuesday's 2 percent gains and have now been on the rise for eight straight days - their longest rally since June 2017."After a dreadful December for risk markets…
Oil Rises to $51 After Steep Slide
Oil rose to $51 a barrel on Wednesday on perceptions that a price slide to 2017 lows prompted by economic worries had been overdone amid an OPEC-led effort to tighten supply.Crude has been caught up in wider financial market weakness as the U.S. government shutdown, higher U.S. interest rates and the U.S.-China trade dispute unnerved investors and exacerbated worries over global growth.Brent crude, the global benchmark, was up 70 cents at $51.17 at 1120 GMT. It earlier fell to $49.93, the lowest since July 2017, and posted a 6.2 percent slide in the previous session.U.S.
Oil Falls in Line with Stricken Stock Markets
Oil fell on Monday, in line with another decline across global stock markets, which came under pressure from concern about a U.S. government shutdown and a worsening world economy.The price of oil has already fallen by more than 30 percent so far this quarter to its lowest since the third quarter of 2017, as investors have grown increasingly wary of the impact to global growth, and crude demand, from an escalating trade dispute between the United States and China.The U.S. Senate has been unable to break an impasse over U.S.
Oil Rise as Global Equities Climb, Libya Output Drops
Oil futures rose on Tuesday with the help of an increase in global stock markets, an outage reducing Libyan crude production and a gradual decrease in Russian output.Brent futures rose 45 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $60.44 a barrel by 11:58 p.m. EST (1658 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 79 cents, or 1.5 percent, at $51.79. Earlier, both contracts rose over $1 a barrel."The complex is getting a lift from a pop in global risk appetite this morning as underscored by a strong advance in U.S. equities," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Chicago, said in a report.U.S.
Oil Rises as Saudi Arabia Seeks to Tackle Oversupply
Oil prices rose on Monday after Saudi Arabia said OPEC and its partners believed demand was softening enough to warrant an output cut of 1 million barrels per day next year.Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, said on Sunday it would cut its shipments by half a million barrels per day in December due to seasonal lower demand.Brent crude futures were up 52 cents at $70.70 a barrel by 1445 GMT, while U.S. crude futures rose 36 cents to $60.55.Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday OPEC and its allies…
Oil Gains after Saudi Paves the Way for an Output Cut
Oil rose by more than 1 percent on Monday, set for its largest one-day increase in a month after Saudi Arabia said OPEC and its partners believed demand was softening enough to warrant an output cut of 1 million barrels per day.Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, said on Sunday it would cut its shipments by half a million barrels per day in December due to seasonal lower demand.Brent crude futures rose 80 cents on the day to $70.98 a barrel by 1205 GMT, while U.S. crude futures rose 36 cents to $60.69 a barrel.Saudi…
Oil Rises Towards $77 After Slide, Demand Outlook Weighs
Oil rose towards $77 a barrel on Wednesday after hitting a two-month low as the focus returned to looming U.S. sanctions on oil exporter Iran, although concern about a weaker demand outlook weighed.In a sign Iranian exports will drop further once the sanctions take effect on Nov. 4, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said two Chinese state-owned refiners were not planning to load Iranian oil for November.Brent crude, the global benchmark, was up 52 cents at $76.96 a barrel at 1325 GMT. It fell earlier in the day to $75.11, the lowest since Aug. 24. U.S.
Oil at 2014 Highs on Iran Sanctions, NAFTA Deal
Oil futures extended their rally on Monday, hitting their highest levels since November 2014, as U.S. sanctions on Iran come into force and a North American trade deal fosters growth.The United States and Canada forged a deal on Sunday to salvage the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a trilateral pact with Mexico, rescuing a three-country, $1.2 trillion open-trade zone that had been about to collapse."I think the NAFTA 2.0 deal helps prices - it takes away from some of the concerns that the trade war was going to impact growth," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.
Oil Slips as Trade War Worries Outweigh Iran Sanctions
Oil prices slipped on Friday as concerns over the impact of a global trade war depressed sentiment, although impending U.S. sanctions on Iran and falling Venezuelan output limited losses.Benchmark Brent crude oil was down 40 cents at $77.37 a barrel by 1310 GMT. U.S. light crude was 30 cents lower at $69.95.U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to withdraw from the World Trade Organization, his latest salvo in a deepening dispute between the United States and its major trading partners.Economists worry that…
Oil Rises to $76 as OPEC+ Committee Sees Production Increasing
Brent oil prices rose to near $76 a barrel on Monday as a committee monitoring a deal on oil output curbs between OPEC and non-OPEC producers saw production rising while a U.S.-China trade dispute capped gains.International Brent crude oil futures were at $76.04 per barrel at 1326 GMT, up 22 cents from their last close.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 13 cents at $68.85 a barrel.Trading activity was limited due to a public holiday in Britain, traders said.Members of an OPEC and non-OPEC monitoring committee found producers in a supply-reduction agreement cut their July output by 9 percent more than called for in their pact…
Oil Rises Above $74 on Report of U.S. Inventory Drop, Iran Sanctions
Oil hit a two-week high above $74 a barrel on Wednesday as an industry report showing a sharp drop in U.S. crude inventories and U.S. sanctions on OPEC producer Iran pointed to tighter supplies.The American Petroleum Institute reported U.S. crude stocks fell last week by 5.2 million barrels, more than three times the decline analysts expected. The government's official figures are due at 1430 GMT."The API inventory data published after the close of trading yesterday are lending buoyancy to prices," Commerzbank analyst Carsten…
Oil Prices Dip as Markets Eye Potential Supply Increases
Oil prices fell on Monday as concerns about supply disruptions eased and Libyan ports resumed export activities, while traders eyed potential supply increases by Russia and other oil producers.Brent crude futures were down 26 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $75.07 a barrel at 0057 GMT.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 27 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $70.74 a barrel.Supply outages in Libya and strike action in Norway and Iraq pushed oil prices higher late last week, although prices still ended down for a second straight week."Crude oil prices fell as fears of supply disruptions eased.
China's Tariffs on US Oil Would Disrupt $1 Bln Monthly Business
China's threat to impose duties on U.S. oil imports will hit a business that has soared in the last two years, and which is now worth almost $1 billion per month.In an escalating spat over the United States' trade deficit with most of its major trading partners, including China, U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he was pushing ahead with hefty tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, starting on July 6.China said Friday it would retaliate by slapping duties on several American commodities, including oil.Investors expect the spat to come at the expense of U.S.
Oil Falls $2 a Barrel Ahead of OPEC Meeting
Oil prices fell sharply Friday, with benchmark Brent crude dropping more than $2 a barrel ahead of an OPEC meeting in Vienna next week as two of the world's biggest producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia, indicated they were prepared to increase output.Brent crude oil fell $2.15 a barrel to $73.79 by 10:56 a.m. EDT [1556 GMT]. U.S. light crude was $1.77 lower at $65.12 a barrel. Brent crude is on track to end the week down more than 3 percent, while U.S. crude is heading to fall 0.7 percent.Both contracts hit 3-1/2-year highs in May, but have since drifted lower as U.S.
Oil Drops as Demand Shows Signs of Slowing
U.S. crude stocks rise by 4.9 mln bbl to 435.6 mln bbl even as production by oil majors is rising. Oil eased on Wednesday after a rise in U.S. crude inventory added to signs demand may be slowing in spite of ongoing output cuts by producer group OPEC and imminent U.S. sanctions against Iran. Brent crude futures were last down 65 cents at $77.78 a barrel by 1147 GMT, while U.S. crude futures fell 32 cents to $70.99 a barrel, leaving the spread between the two just shy of a 2015 high of $7 a barrel. Physical crude markets are sagging under the weight of unsold barrels of oil…
China's Crude Oil Futures Boom Amid Looming Iran Sanctions
A U.S. decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran is supporting China's newly established crude oil futures, and may spur efforts to start trading oil in yuan rather than dollars, traders and analysts said.Since launching in March, Shanghai crude oil futures have seen a steady pick-up in daily trading, while open interest - the number of outstanding longer-term positions and a gauge of institutional interest - has also surged.Traded daily volumes hit a record 250,000 lots last Wednesday, more than double the day before, spurred…
