Energy Intelligence Briefing articles from February 2008

Energy Intelligence Briefing archives from February 2008

Opec sees Q1 crude stock rise, keeps output steady.
February 1, 2008... VIENNA -- Opec kept its output levels steady on Friday because its data show that the world is already amply supplied and will see a quite unusual crude stockbuild in the first quarter of 2008. In fact, Opec expected crude stocks to be rising...

North Sea February loadings fall, Brent stays strong.
February 4, 2008... LONDON -- Crude oil futures have had a turbulent new North Sea Loadings January and February 2008 year so far, with front-month prices at one stage being hammered down almost 14%. Front-month North Sea Brent has so far traded a wide $13.50...

January oil balances get looser, lifting crude stocks.
February 5, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Global oil balances got considerably looser in January, consistent with easing oil prices, although some of the price weakness was clearly related to growing concerns about the fragility of US economic growth and the implications...

Saudi term prices seen fair in Asia, US; Europe high.
February 7, 2008... NEW YORK -- Refiners say state Saudi Aramco is generally sensitive to refining margins in Asia and the US and has set its differentials for March crude oil formula prices for term clients there accordingly but has overpriced grades loading for...

West African March crude cargoes mostly sell smoothly.
February 8, 2008... LONDON -- March is proving to be a mixed month for sellers of West African crudes, with much depending on when deals are struck. Purveyors of Angolan and Congolese fare who cleared the decks early report a robust few weeks, with generally...

Large inventory build cools price, but market on fire.
February 15, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Large inventory gains in the OECD helped cool crude oil prices in January, taking the market from $100 per barrel for US WTI oil at the beginning of the year down to a low of around $86/bbl. But the question moving forward is...

Physical north sea markets point to modest softening.
February 25, 2008... LONDON -- Nymex WTI finally succeeded in extracting itself from the stranglehold of the equities markets that for some time has been dominated by fears of a global economic downturn. Worries that this eventually would hit energy demand and...

Russian sea exports bounce back but still feel tax hit.
February 29, 2008... MOSCOW -- Despite a persistent crunch from Russia's oil export duties, seaborne crude exports are set to rebound in March from a two-year low in February, according to port loading schedules issued by state-owned pipeline operator Transneft....

Market compass.
February 29, 2008... LONDON--Russian Urals prices have slipped gradually over the past month, but what sellers may have lost in differential terms they have made up more than eight times over in cash values. During the first week of February, Urals c.i.f. Northwest...