Energy Chart Pack Geopolitics and OPEC dominate oil prices Geopolitical tensions were the main driver of oil prices in the first half of the month as the US fired missiles at Syria and ramped up rhetoric around North Korea. However, the market quickly... 5th May 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Four reasons why the weakness in oil prices won’t last long The recent weakness in oil prices is largely due to concerns over persistently high US stocks and growing production there. However, the headline US crude stocks number is a little misleading and US... 5th May 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report A sharp fall in the amount of oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) prevented commercial stocks from falling by as much as expected. 3rd May 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Crude oil stocks slumped for the third consecutive week as demand from refineries rose to its highest level on record. Meanwhile, both gasoline and distillate inventories increased sharply. 26th April 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Update Will the shake-up of the Brent oil benchmark affect prices? We expect the change in the method for assessing the Brent global benchmark to have a negligible effect on the price of Brent going forward. Rather, we anticipate fundamental factors such as stronger... 24th April 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Saudi Arabia hints at OPEC deal extension Recent comments from Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister, Khalid al-Falih, suggest that OPEC is edging towards an agreement to extend its oil production cuts when it meets in Vienna next month. Having ruled... 21st April 2017 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Rupee surges to 20-month high The rally in the Indian rupee since the start of 2017 has continued in recent weeks, driving the currency to its highest rate against the US dollar in almost two years. While we doubt that the rally... 21st April 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Update How concerned should the oil market be about rising tensions? The increase in political tensions in the Middle East and North Korea had given oil prices a bit of a boost, but this already seems to have faded. Indeed, barring a dramatic escalation of the... 20th April 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report The continued rebound in refinery activity led to a modest fall in US crude oil stocks and a rise in gasoline stocks last week. 19th April 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Crude oil stocks fell last week for only the second time this year as net imports declined and inputs to refineries increased. Meanwhile, inventories of petroleum products continued to fall. 12th April 2017 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC output falls, but mainly due to supply disruptions OPEC production fell in March but output in the group’s de-facto leader, Saudi Arabia, increased. What’s more, OPEC now expects even faster production growth in the US this year. The OPEC Monthly Oil... 12th April 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Update Is the oil market as oversupplied as US crude stocks imply? Relentless growth in inventories of US crude oil caused prices to slump in March. However, the headline stocks figures are potentially a little misleading and we think that the market is probably... 10th April 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Some wider implications of a rebound in shale activity Demand for tubular steel and distillates in the US is likely to receive a boost from the ongoing revival in oil drilling activity. This will be a factor supporting prices, at least in the US market. 6th April 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Chart Pack Volatility returns to oil prices Oil prices broke out of the relatively narrow trading range they had been in for the last few months at the start of March as investors became concerned about the effectiveness of OPEC’s deal to cut... 5th April 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Crude oil stocks swelled last week contrary to expectations as production grew and exports slipped back. However, inventories of petroleum products still fell. 5th April 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack A month of two halves After a weak start to the month, the prices of both gold and oil subsequently rebounded, despite the Fed’s decision to hike interest rates. The accompanying dovish statement lowered expectations of... 3rd April 2017 · 1 min read
