REUTERS - Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were at $73.79 per barrel at 0440 GMT, up 1 cent from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 down 2 cents at $68.40 a barrel.

API - natural gas and oil drilling and completions rose more than 35 percent over 2017 levels signaling the strength of the U.S. natural gas and oil industry. In addition, the success rate for exploration of natural gas and oil was more than 60 percent, the highest rate since 2009.

FT - Oil prices hit their highest level since 2014 on Thursday, moving above $74 a barrel and lifting energy companies to the top of global stock indices.

NPD - Preliminary production figures for March 2018 show an average daily production of 1 901 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 46 000 barrels per day compared to February.

LUKOIL - LUKOIL has commissioned a Gas Processing Complex at the Kandym fields cluster in Uzbekistan. The official opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Aleksander Novak, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Uzbekistan Vladimir Tyurdenyov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Uzbekistan Kwon Yong Woo and the President of PJSC "LUKOIL" Vagit Alekperov.

REUTERS - Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were at $72.07 per barrel at 0659 GMT, up 49 cents, or 0.7 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were up 49 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $67.01 a barrel.

PLATTS - Russia is committed to its OPEC pact with Saudi Arabia and will continue supplying Europe energy despite tensions with the West after US-led strikes on Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime, said Vladimir Putin's spokesman.

EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 125,000 b/d month-over-month in May from 6,871 to 6,996 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 1,078 million cubic feet/day from 65,829 to 66,907 million cubic feet/day .

AOG - Kuwait plans to invest $113bn over the next five years to enhance oil exploration and production activities both inside and outside the country

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 марта по 14 апреля 2018 года составила $ 65,80125 за баррель, или $ 480,3 за тонну.