Bloomberg They are the building blocks of our daily stuff, from sports shoes to computer keyboards, created when oil and natural gas molecules are split, or cracked, to produce ethylene, propylene and other chemicals. The petrochemicals are big business in the oil-rich Persian Gulf, and they’re poised for further growth. Energy producers view these compounds increasingly as a key to …

Bloomberg Petroleo Brasileiro SA jumped on news that its chief financial officer is taking over as interim CEO, offering some continuity to investors rattled by political pressure at the state-controlled oil producer. Ivan Monteiro was named after the resignation of Pedro Parente, as Brazilian politicians called for a chief executive officer more focussed on the good of the nation than …

Bloomberg Canadian crude surged by the most ever after Enbridge Inc. said it won’t implement a new procedure to stop shippers from claiming more space than they can use on a key pipeline linking Alberta’s oil sands with US refineries. Western Canadian Select jumped as much as $12.20 a barrel to $13.80 below the US benchmark, the narrowest spread since …