Regional News

Bloomberg The run-up to $100 oil is giving some investors pause.This year’s longest buildup of hedge-fund bets on higher Brent crude prices is faltering, with bulls retreating for the first time in six weeks. After fears of dramatic shortfalls from Iran sent the global benchmark on a tear and triggered speculation that it will reach three digits, the rally is …

Bloomberg The worst may not be over for India’s state-run oil refiners. The request by the central government that they absorb a portion of sweeping fuel price cuts is raising speculation by analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and Jefferies Group LLC that price controls may be reintroduced or further reductions will be demanded. The move comes amid …

Bloomberg China’s leading role in financing a wave of new coal plants across Asia is drawing fresh scrutiny as the world’s top climate scientists weigh calling for much deeper cuts in emissions. China, India, Japan and the Philippines rank among the biggest investors in the 1,380 coal plants under construction or development worldwide, according to a study by the German …

Bloomberg Even though Beijing hasn’t sanctioned American oil imports yet, Chinese buyers aren’t taking any chances. The world’s second largest economy halted purchases of US crude in August for the first time since September 2016, according to US Census Bureau data. In July, Chinese buyers received nearly 12 million barrels of crude from the US. Beijing, once an enthusiastic buyer …

Bloomberg Oil steadied near the highest level in almost four years as fears of a supply crunch outweighed expectations for an increase in American crude inventories. Futures were trading around $75.50 a barrel in New York, up around 0.4 percent. Supply losses from Iran to Venezuela continued to rattle markets, boosting volatility and driving prices higher. The ongoing outlook for …

Bloomberg Saudi International Petrochemical Co. signed a non-binding agreement to acquire Sahara Petrochemical Co. in an all-share deal valued at just over $2 billion. Saudi International Petrochemical Co., or Sipchem, will issue each Sahara shareholder with 0.8356 new Sipchem shares, the companies said in statements on Wednesday. The deal is valued at about $2.2 billion, according to Tuesday’s closing price. …

Bloomberg Russia’s oil production rose to a post-Soviet high last month as the country completely rolled back the output cuts it had agreed on with Opec, then pumped some more. The country produced a record 11.356 million barrels of oil and condensate a day in September, according to data released on Tuesday by the Energy Ministry’s CDU-TEK statistical unit. That’s …

Bloomberg Iraq exported more than 4 million barrels a day for a second consecutive month in September as buyers sought alternative supplies to Iran ahead of US sanctions. Shipments from Opec’s No. 2 producer were 4.062 million barrels a day, the highest since November 2016 and compared with 4.061 million a day in August, according to Bloomberg calculations from tanker …

Bloomberg In the race to solve a fuel-import crisis in Nigeria, Africa’s richest person faces competition from a swarm of tiny challengers. Billionaire Aliko Dangote is building a 650,000 barrel-a-day refinery in Nigeria that will help cut the nation’s $7 billion annual fuel-import bill. Such is the pressure on its finances, the government is pursuing another option, giving licenses to …

Bloomberg South Africa’s Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. is still running low on fuel at more than half of its power stations and expects to finish supply contracts in October that will replenish the stockpiles. There are 10 of Eskom’s 15 baseload stations throughout the country that have less than three weeks of coal, Khulu Phasiwe, a spokesman for the utility, …