Regional News

  Emirates Business For the first time, Saudi Arabia will host the ‘Top CEO Conference and Awards’ – an event which will see CEOs, CMOs, Presidents and VPs from across the Arabian Gulf region and beyond gather together on April 10-11 at Bay La Sun Hotel & Marina, King Abdullah Economic City. The annual event, now in its third edition, …

  DOHA / Reuters Qatar has lifted a self-imposed moratorium on development of the world’s biggest natural gas field after more than a decade, the chief executive of state energy company Qatar Petroleum said on Monday. The giant Gulf gas field, which Doha calls the North Field and Iran calls South Pars, accounts for nearly all of Qatar’s gas production …

  Bloomberg Cenovus Energy Inc. plans to raise about C$1.8 billion ($1.35 billion) from property sales as it seeks to offset the cost of its C$17.7 billion purchase of ConocoPhillips’ Canadian oil assets, according to people familiar with the matter. The Calgary-based producer has hired Bank of Montreal to advise on the sale of its Suffield oil and natural gas …

  Bloomberg Crude stockpiles are starting to decline in a sign that the production cuts implemented this year are bringing the market to balance, according to OPEC’s Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo. An overhang of an estimated 285 million barrels of oil in storage has been a drag on crude prices even as OPEC and some non-members producers curbed output. Six members …

  BAGHDAD / AP Iraq’s oil minister said on Sunday that his country plans to increase daily crude oil production to 5 million barrels by the end of this year, up from the current rate of about 4.4 million barrels per day, to secure sorely needed cash for its ailing economy. Iraq, where oil revenues make up nearly 95 percent …

  Bloomberg Oil capped its biggest weekly increase this year amid speculation OPEC will extend its deal to curb output and ease a global glut. Futures advanced 5.5 percent in New York this week, climbing back above $50 a barrel after Kuwait Oil Minister Issam Almarzooq reiterated support for prolonging a six-month deal to trim supply past June. The market …

  Bloomberg Oil production in West Texas is about to outgrow pipeline capacity, a combination that knocked down crude prices in the region three years ago. West Texas Intermediate crude at Midland, Texas, the heart of the Permian Basin, sank this month to the lowest level since September. It’s the weakest for this time of year since 2014, according to …

  Bloomberg As they guided Europe’s largest oil companies through the industry’s worst slump in two decades, the bosses of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc had a simple message for investors: we’ll protect the dividend at all costs. Not everyone is convinced they’ll be able to keep their word. Even after they raised billions of dollars by cutting …

  Dubai / Reuters Saudi Aramco is paying a significant premium to the government and to its previous borrowing in its first sale of Islamic bonds, reflecting uncertainty over oil prices and an upcoming sale of the state-owned oil giant’s shares. Aramco is offering 7-year, riyal-denominated sukuk at 25 basis points (bps) over the six-month Saudi Arabian Interbank Offered Rate …

  Bloomberg Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) expects double-digit growth in its project finance business in the Middle East in 2017, driven partly by Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reduce its dependence on oil, the bank’s co-head in the region Elyas Algaseer said. Saudi Arabia’s push to diversify its economy under its National Transformation Plan provides a big opportunity for international …