Energy & Oil

• Tuesday, January 27th 2015 - 06:50 UTC

  Oil Prices Changing The Face Of Global Geopolitics

  

  In a documentary that aired recently on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular The Fifth Estate program, an allegory of Vladimir Putin was presented. The wily Russian president was described growing up in a shabby St. Petersburg apartment, where he would often corner rats.

• Friday, January 23rd 2015 - 05:43 UTC

  In “God will provide” speech Maduro admits economic failure and calls for unity

  

  In a three-hour State of the Nation speech to the National Assembly on Wednesday night, president Nicolás Maduro acknowledged some of the economic realities facing Venezuela: the economy contracted by 2.8% in 2014 and inflation stood at 64%.

• Thursday, January 22nd 2015 - 11:36 UTC

  Oil price collapse hurting some more than others

  

  U.S. oil and gas rig counts dropped to their lowest level in over four years, falling by an additional 74 units for the week ending on January 16. The lower count provides fresh evidence that low oil prices are forcing drillers to pare back operations and slash spending.

• Tuesday, January 20th 2015 - 05:48 UTC

  Party is over in Brazil: increase in fuel, tax on consumer loans and imports

  

  Brazil on Monday announced tax increases on fuel, imports and consumer loans aimed at raising 20.6 billion Reais (7.7bn dollars) in additional revenues this year. The plan is part of an effort to help balance budget accounts and revive investor confidence, Finance Minister Joaquim Levy said at a news conference.

• Tuesday, January 20th 2015 - 05:27 UTC

  Heat wave in Brazil forces power cuts; to recover fragile system rates could increase by 60%

  

  Rolling blackouts swept across parts of Brazil as the grid operator ordered select power cuts to avoid a larger crisis, drawing attention to a fragile electric system that is buckling under the strains of record-breaking heat and dryness.

• Saturday, January 17th 2015 - 08:00 UTC

  Petrobras CEO confirmed in the job by the Energy minister

  

  Brazil’s energy minister this week threw his support behind the CEO of Petrobras, the embattled state-run oil company embroiled in a vast corruption scandal that has dominated national headlines. Maria das Graças Silva Foster will keep her job as CEO, the minister said, despite growing demands for her resignation.

• Saturday, January 17th 2015 - 07:49 UTC

  Petrobras corruption scheme could reach 28bn dollars according to police

  

  The corruption scheme in Brazil's leading corporation Petrobras could exceed 28 billion dollars, making it the largest corruption scandal that the country has ever seen. The development was reported through an interview by Reuters of Brazilian police officer, Erika Marena, investigating the corruption probe.

• Friday, January 16th 2015 - 05:23 UTC

  YPF increased output during 2014; refinery strike threatens supply of fuel

  

  YPF's oil and natural gas production rose in 2014 for the second year running, Argentina's state-run energy company said on Thursday. Oil production rose 8.7% last year, while gas output was up 12.5%, YPF said, although the company did not publish annual output volume.

• Thursday, January 15th 2015 - 08:13 UTC

  Five ways to play the oil price plunge

  

  The collapse of the oil price has created losers and winners, and like every major movement in a commodity sector, the trick for investors is figuring out which side of the trade to be on.The most obvious victim of the slide in Brent and WTI prices over the last 6 months has been the major oil producers. Holders of these equities have seen price slides up to 33%.

• Thursday, January 15th 2015 - 05:09 UTC

  Premier drastically cuts spending; Falklands projects included in 2015 agenda

  

  UK hydrocarbons producer Premier Oil with strong interests in the Falklands expects to book a 300 million dollars impairment charge due to the plunge in oil prices and plans to cut jobs and investment by 40% compared to 2014, to rein in costs, it said on Wednesday.