REUTERS - India’s oil imports from Iran surged to 640,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April, its highest level since October 2016, according to data from shipping and industry sources, as refiners raised purchases ahead of looming U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

REUTERS - A consortium of western companies and Russia’s Gazprom that is due to build the controversial subsea Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany said on Tuesday it was starting preparatory work in the Greifswald bay off Germany’s Baltic coast.

GAZPROM - The parties reviewed the issues of cooperation in the energy industry, focusing on, inter alia, substantial growth in Russian gas exports to Austria. According to preliminary data, from January 1 through May 14, 2018, Gazprom delivered to Austria 4.7 billion cubic meters of gas, an increase of 70.4 per cent from the same period of last year.

FRB - Industrial production rose 0.7 percent in April for its third consecutive monthly increase. The rates of change for industrial production for previous months were revised downward, on net; for the first quarter, output is now reported to have advanced 2.3 percent at an annual rate.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures were at $78.22 per barrel at 0644 GMT, down 21 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $71.03 a barrel, down 28 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last settlement.

PLATTS - "It is too early to say [what the impact of the US decision on the oil market will be]. In any case, we have all the tools that could be used to balance the market," Novak said, commenting on the potential impact of the move on the oil markets.

BLOOMBERG - India’s oil consumption surged 4.5 percent in April as industrial activity gathered pace in Asia’s third-largest economy and sales of trucks and buses soared.

BLOOMBERG - Europe and China will be comparable in significance as importing regions in the coming years, Cheniere Energy Inc. said, citing data from Wood Mackenzie Ltd. That follows “absolutely phenomenal” growth in China last year, Andrew Walker, vice president for strategy at the company that pioneered the transformation of the U.S. shale boom into global exports, said in Amsterdam.

BLOOMBERG - Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., the Abuja-based behemoth that dominates the OPEC member’s energy industry, has made losses for at least the last three years,

EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 144,000 b/d month-over-month in June from 7,034 to 7,178 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 1,092 million cubic feet/day from 67,027 to 68,119 million cubic feet/day .

NPD - Preliminary production figures for April 2018 show an average daily production of 1 868 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 34 000 barrels per day compared to March.

ROSNEFT - Financial results for 1Q 2018 - Revenue growth by 22% to RUB 1.72 trln in 1Q 2018 - EBITDA increase by 15.6% up to RUB 385 bln in 1Q 2018 - Net income jumps by more than by 7 times to RUB 81 bln - Considerable improvement in free cash flow to RUB 142 bln - Short-term financial liabilities cut by 49%

REUTERS - Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $76.79 per barrel at 0648 GMT, down 33 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $70.44 a barrel, down 26 cents, or 0.3 percent.

FT - “Any action will be taken in co-ordination with other producers,” the person said on Wednesday, adding that Saudi Arabia was already in talks with Russia and other producers, including the UAE.

IMF - the region remains the main engine of global growth, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the global growth. Regional output is projected to grow by 5.6 per cent in 2018 and 2019; 5.6 per cent is about 0.1 percentage point higher than we expected in last October, supported by trade as well as accommodative global financial conditions.