The OECD sees global GDP growth rebounding to 3.4% in 2020, assuming that trade disputes are resolved and confidence rebuilds. This suggests that global oil demand growth will have scope to recover from 1.2 mb/d in 2019 to 1.4 mb/d in 2020.

At the G20 Ministerial Meeting, which saw ministers of energy and environment meet in Japan, Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that strategic investments should be made to ensure the future energy mix is optimal, including conventional energy sources as well as new sources of energy, to ensure that the supply of energy is abundant, affordable, accessible and sustainable.

"Today about 18 million barrels of oil on a daily basis flows through this choke point coming from Saudi Arabia, emirates and other countries to China, Japan, India and other Asian customers." "But at the same time it is a major route for LNG, liquefied natural gas. About 30% of LNG goes through this strait, coming again to Japan, South Korea, and other Asian countries."

Australia supplied over 53% of China’s LNG imports during the first five months of 2019, shipping data in Refinitiv showed, up from around 40% in 2016 when a previous round of new Australian export projects started to ramp up.

Japan imported more than 210 million short tons (MMst) of coal in 2018, making it the world’s third-largest coal-importing country after only India and China. Japan continues to use steam coal to fuel one-third of its electricity generation and metallurgical coal for raw steel production.

Sberbank, EuroChem Group AG and SUEK JSC announced a strategic co-operation agreement signed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the European Union to aim for a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, far more than the bloc’s current target for a 40% reduction.

The NWF currently stands at $59 billion and is expected to quadruple to over $200 billion, or 12% of gross domestic product, in 2021. Under the law, Russia may start to use the fund as soon as it reaches 7% of GDP.

BHGE - U.S. Rig Count is down 6 rigs from last week to 969, with oil rigs down 1 to 788, gas rigs down 5 to 181, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 0. Canada Rig Count is up 4 rigs from last week to 107, with oil rigs up 10 to 69 and gas rigs down 6 to 38.

Brent crude futures were up 23 cents, or 0.4%, at $61.54 a barrel by 0638 GMT, having settled up 2.2% on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 1 cent at $52.27 a barrel, after earlier rising. WTI also closed up 2.2% in the previous session, but is on course for a weekly decline of 3.2%.