GAZPROM - Pursuant to the draft investment program for 2019, the overall amount of investments will stand at RUB 1,325.724 billion, with RUB 963.019 billion intended for capital investments, RUB 151.505 billion for the acquisition of non-current assets, and RUB 211.2 billion for long-term financial investments.

NOVATEK - PAO NOVATEK (“NOVATEK” and/or the “Company) announced that its joint venture Yamal LNG has commenced initial production of LNG at the plant’s third LNG train. The total nameplate capacity of all three LNG trains is 16.5 mmtpa, or 5.5 mmtpa per LNG train.

REUTERS - Preliminary data compiled by Venezuela’s central bank shows the economy shrank by 16.6 percent in 2017 compared with the year before, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, the country’s sharpest decline on record.

IMF - Uzbekistan's gross domestic product (GDP) continued to expand at about 5 percent. Growth in the communication, construction, mining, and some service sectors remained strong through the third quarter.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures, were at $54.35 per barrel at 0534 GMT, 28 cents, or 0.5 percent below their last settlement. Front-month Brent crude oil futures were at $63.25 per barrel, down 23 cents, or 0.4 percent.

"Construction of TurkStream – a new gas pipeline connecting Russia and Turkey via the Black Sea – is entering its final stage. The work is well ahead of schedule: the offshore section of the gas pipeline was completed as early as today instead of in December as planned earlier. The swift pace of this project can be attributed to the concerted and coordinated efforts of the project team. In late 2019, the gas pipeline will be brought into operation. It will become an additional guarantee of energy security in Turkey and the countries of southern and southeastern Europe," said Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee.

GAZPROM - the growth in natural gas consumption around the world continued unabated. In 2016–2017, it added more than 3 per cent on a yearly basis. The growth rate for 2018 may be even higher.

BLOOMBERG - Saudi Arabian oil production surged to a record near 11 million barrels a day this month after the kingdom received stronger-than-usual demand from clients preparing for a disruption in Iranian supplies, according to industry executives who track Saudi output.

PLATTS - Recent activity in the US Gulf Coast shipping market signals that Chinese buyers have returned to buying US crudes oil after halting all imports of US grades in August and September.

PLATTS - Indonesia's state-owned Pertamina is estimated to import around 10-11 million barrels of gasoline in December, steady from November.

GAZPROM NEFT - RUB298.7 billion — Gazprom Neft’s net profit for 9M 2018, a 58-percent increase on 9M 2017; RUB614.5 billion adjusted EBITDA* for the first nine months of 2018 — up 53.9 percent on 9M 2017; Free cash flow (FCF) for 9M 2018, standing at RUB134.8 billion, a 62.4-percent increase year-on-year.

NPD - Preliminary production figures for October 2018 show an average daily production of 1 874 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is an increase of 271 000 barrels per day compared to September.

IMF - Australia’s recent strong growth is expected to continue in the near term, further reducing slack in the economy and leading the way to gradual upward pressure on wages and prices.

IMF - Britain's growth is projected to remain around 1½ percent going forward, under a baseline scenario that assumes a smooth transition to a broad free trade agreement with the EU.

IMF - Some of the negative effects of the changing external environment are already being felt in South Africa despite its economic resilience.