Regional News

Bloomberg The chorus in the oil market calling for deeper production cuts gets louder almost every day. By resisting the clamor, OPEC is breaking with its own history. As crude sank below $50 a barrel — less than half the price of two years ago — market-watchers from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to former OPEC officials said supply curbs imposed …

Bloomberg Shale explorers reduced the number of rigs drilling for oil in the US this week, snapping a record expansion in a sign the boom may be waning as prices linger near $45 a barrel. Working rigs targeting crude fell by 2, bringing the total to 756, according to Baker Hughes Inc. data reported. The reduction ended 23 straight weeks …

Bloomberg The fire that killed at least 79 people in a residential tower in London earlier this month has delivered a blow to an often overlooked section of the green industry that’s crucial to delivering energy efficiency. Local authorities across the UK are ripping foam insulation from housing blocks after concerns that plastic cladding on the Grenfell Tower acted as …

LONDON­­­­ / Reuters OPEC oil output has risen in June by 280,000 barrels per day (bpd) to a 2017 high, a Reuters survey found, as a further recovery in supply from the two member countries exempt from a production-cutting deal offset strong compliance by their peers. High compliance by Gulf producers Saudi Arabia and Kuwait helped keep OPEC’s adherence with …

Bloomberg Oil companies have spent three years slashing spending and firing workers to protect profits, only to find their hard work blown away as prices entered another bear market. The MSCI World Energy Sector Index is heading for a second consecutive quarter of declines, mirroring the drop in crude. The 90 companies that make up the index, including giants like …

Bloomberg In the heart of Canada’s biggest oil province, life is slowly returning to normal in Fort McMurray, Alberta. After a fire last year destroyed entire neighborhoods in the town and halted about a million barrels of daily production, green leaves are beginning to bud on charred trees and new construction is replacing homes that were burned to the ground. …

TOKYO­­­­ / Reuters Japan’s anti-monopoly regulator ruled on Wednesday that all new contracts for liquefied natural gas (LNG) should not contain restrictions on reselling cargoes of the fuel, adding momentum to a push to liberalise the LNG market. The decision, which was in line with growing market practice, is likely to lead to more trading of LNG cargoes by buyers …

Bloomberg Royal Dutch Shell Plc is turning to India’s textile, cement and steel factories as it seeks to expand demand for its natural gas. The Hague-based energy giant has set up a team of about six executives to identify small businesses that use dirtier fuels like coal and convince them to switch, according to Ajay Shah, a vice president with …

Bloomberg Gabon, OPEC’s smallest member by production, will try to reduce its reliance on oil by increasing investments in agriculture and mining as part of pledges made to win a $642 million International Monetary Fund facility, Economy Minister Regis Immongault said. Oil’s proportion of state revenue will decline to about 25 percent by mid-2020, from 30 percent currently, he said …

Bloomberg On the surface, the oil market is getting worse and worse: there are now more bearish bets on benchmark Brent crude than at any time in at least six years. But to many traders, that’s a signal prices are vulnerable to a sudden, sharp rebound. Oil’s ripe for a so-called “short-covering” rally — where traders who sold contracts hoping …