The Bank of England has held UK interest rates at a record low of 0.5% for another month. The size of the Bank's economic stimulus program - quantitative easing - was also unchanged at £375bn.
The European Central Bank cut interest rates to new record lows on Thursday, unexpectedly lowering borrowing costs to try to lift inflation from rock-bottom levels (deflation) and support the stagnating euro zone economy. The ECB cut its main refinancing rate to 0.05% from 0.15%.
With Brazil battling recession and inflation a month away from the presidential election, the Central bank kept its key interest rate on hold at 11%. Traders and analysts had forecast no change and the central bank's monetary policy commission (Copom) duly decided to leave all quiet following its monthly two-day meeting.
The current legal dispute between Argentina and holdouts (“vulture funds”) suing the country over its defaulted bonds “will not affect” planned Chinese investments, since Argentina and China have a 'strategic association', the head of the National Commission of Development and Reform (CNDR) of China Xu Shaoshi, warned on Wednesday.
One of the world’s legendary investors is upping his bet on Argentina’s shale oil and gas industry in a show of confidence for shale production in South America’s largest unconventional prize —and a big boost for both super-majors and smaller players making big waves in the heart of new discovery areas.
Credit strapped Argentina is wooing Beijing and with this purpose Economy Minister Axel Kicillof, Planning Minister Julio De Vido and YPF oil company CEO Miguel Galuccio are currently on an official trip to China, aimed at gathering funding for public works including two dams and one nuclear power plant.
Chile's petroleum corporation, ENAP, is planning to drill 55 non conventional new wells in Tierra del Fuego beginning September until the end of 2015, with the purpose of increasing the current production from 450.000 cubic meters per day to a million cubic meters of 'tight' gas.
Falkland Islands Argos Resources Ltd posted Friday a narrowed pre-tax loss for the first half, saying it is more confident on the outlook for its farm-out efforts following the recent contracting of the Eirik Raude deep water rig by Noble Energy Inc and Premier Oil PLC.
Argentine government controlled energy company YPF said on Thursday it signed a 550 million dollars agreement with Malaysia's Petronas to develop shale-oil reserves in the massive Vaca Muerta formation.
Premier Oil has updated progress on the Sea Lion project, the first field development offshore the Falkland Islands. Latest subsurface studies suggest recoverable reserves for the Phase 1 development at 308 MMbbl, with further upside of 60 MMbbl if next year’s well on the Chatham prospect confirms that there is no gas cap in the western side of the field.