Bloomberg Asia’s finally becoming a prime destination for US shale gas cargoes. At least 10 of the 12 tankers bearing liquefied natural gas that left Cheniere Energy Inc.’s Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana in December are headed for Asian countries, shipping data compiled by Bloomberg show. The December tally surpasses November’s record of 10 departures. Sabine Pass is the …

  Bloomberg Iraq’s oil exports from its southern ports in the Gulf reached a record high in December, just before the country was due to join other major producers in cutting output to help curb a global oversupply.Shipments from southern ports in Basra Province averaged 3.51 million barrels a day in December, Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said in an e-mailed …

  Bloomberg Oil fell for the first time in four days as an increase in US drilling activity fanned speculation that OPEC production cuts could revive output in North America. Futures slid as much as 2.1 percent in New York after rising 3.2 percent the previous three sessions. Gulf oil producers Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and …