Regional News

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is setting up a company to invest in local entertainment, as the kingdom tentatively opens up and pursues a long-term strategy to reduce its reliance on oil. The company will have an initial capitalization of 10 billion riyals ($2.7 billion) and “act as its investment arm in Saudi Arabia’s growing entertainment sector,” the Public ...

DUBAI / Reuters Saudi Arabia will begin implementing a new bankruptcy law early next year as part of efforts to attract foreign investment and encourage private sector activity, Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya reported citing the kingdom’s commerce minister. Under current legislation there is no easy way to wind up the activities of indebted companies in Saudi Arabia and the new ...

TOKYO / SEOUL / Reuters Iranian exports of ultra-light crude oil known as condensate are set to fall to a five-month low in October, with supplies to its largest buyer South Korea cut by half, a source with knowledge of Iran’s preliminary tanker schedule said on Friday. That comes after six industry sources said on Tuesday that the National Iranian ...

VIENNA / Reuters Nigeria is pumping less than 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, its oil minister said, meaning the country is sticking to an output cap agreed under an OPEC-led deal to limit output. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers, including Russia, are reducing crude output until next March in an attempt to ...

Bloomberg US stocks of distillate fuel oil, which have been trending downwards all year, now look tight following disruption to major refineries caused by Hurricane Harvey. The position is a marked turnaround from the start of the year, when distillate stocks were at record levels following the second warm winter in a row and a prolonged slowdown in freight movements ...

Bloomberg / Reuters Saudi Arabia raised 7 billion riyals ($1.9 billion) from domestic sukuk sales as the kingdom seeks to bolster its finances amid an economic overhaul and lower oil prices. The government received more than 24 billion riyals in bids for its third riyal-denominated Islamic bond sale, according to a statement on the Ministry of Finance’s website. It raised ...

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia is considering a plan to phase out subsidies for gasoline and jet fuel in November at the latest, as the world’s biggest oil exporter pushes a program to curtail public spending after a global slump in prices. The government would boost gasoline to parity with varying international prices under the plan, according to a person with knowledge ...

Bloomberg Saudi Aramco plans to expand its trading business by buying and selling non-Saudi crude as the world’s biggest exporter prepares for what could be a record initial public offering. The state-owned company is putting crude marketing and refined-product trading under the same management, according to Ibrahim Al-Buainain, chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco Products Trading Co.. The enlarged unit ...

Bloomberg Oil extended gains above $50 a barrel in New York as Iraq raised the prospect of OPEC taking further steps to clear a global supply glut. West Texas Intermediate futures added 0.4 percent. Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi said there’s support in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to deepen output curbs by about 1 percent. Still, Iraq has ...

Bloomberg The post-Harvey buzz over fuels is making US crude look like the poor stepchild of hedge funds. Since the storm battered the heart of America’s refining industry last month, bets on rising gasoline and diesel prices have surged for three straight weeks to the most bullish in years. But when it comes to West Texas Intermediate crude, skepticism is ...