Baker Hughes Fourth Quarter and Annual Results: - Revenue of $3.4 billion for the quarter and $15.7 billion for the year - Sequential and year-over-year decremental operating margins for the quarter were 33% and 32%, respectively - GAAP net loss per share of $2.35 for the quarter, includes $2.14 per share of impairment and restructuring charges and merger-related costs - Free cash flow up 25% sequentially to $436 million for the quarter, and $1.2 billion for the year

Three leading US shale oil producers have announced steep cuts in their planned capital spending, as they set their budgets to respond to the collapse in crude prices.

During the next eight days, independent U.S. oil explorers are expected to report 2015 losses totaling almost $14 billion, the result of the steepest price collapse in a generation.

The upstream, oil field services, midstream, and downstream businesses during the year collectively saw just 379 M&A deals take place, down from the 709 that occurred in 2014, and 409 and 389 that respectively took place in 2008 and 2009 amid the Great Recession. Total value in 2015 was $286.23 billion, down from $353.97 billion in 2014.

European stocks deepened a monthly rout as disappointing earnings reports reignited investor concern about global growth prospects and oil prices resumed their downward trend.

British wholesale gas prices have fallen over 40 percent in the past year, as mild winter temperatures softened demand amid a sell-off in crude oil markets to which seasonal gas contracts are indirectly linked, and pressure has been mounting on power companies to lower retail prices for households.

China's oil demand will grow 4.3 percent this year to surpass 11 million barrels per day, compared to 4.8 percent growth last year.

With China's economy growing at its slowest pace in a generation and Asia's trading powerhouses Japan and South Korea struggling to create growth, Asian fuel oil demand for container ships should stagnate in 2016, putting more pressure on a market that struggled last year.

"The simple fact is that the accepted oil narrative has become uniformly negative," he said. "Prices will eventually have to move to a level that creates supply rather than destroys it.... We believe that price to be well above current levels."

Last month, David Rubenstein, a founder of private-equity firm Carlyle Group, said he anticipates “maybe the greatest energy investing opportunities we’ve ever seen.” Marc Lasry, founder of hedge fund Avenue Capital, has described energy as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Участники совещания обсудили возможность координации действий со странами ОПЕК в связи с неблагоприятной ценовой конъюнктурой на мировом нефтяном рынке.

The stress test had definitely shown that “we still need additional infrastructure, but not everywhere – we really need to target investment where it's really needed and have the projects of common interest (“PCI's”) and how Europe promotes investments should really be targeted to regions where we do need investments.”

The average natural gas spot price at the benchmark Henry Hub for December 2015 of $1.93 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) was the lowest monthly average since March 1999. EIA expects natural gas prices to rise, averaging $2.65/MMBtu in 2016 and $3.22/MMBtu in 2017. Expected price increases reflect consumption growth, mainly from the industrial sector, that outpaces near-term production growth.

From 2014 to 2040, we see global demand for energy rising by 25 percent. This increase is equivalent to the total energy used in North America and Latin America today.

The economy will shrink 1.5 percent this year, Alfa Bank’s Natalia Orlova said in a report on Monday, cutting her previous forecast for an expansion of 0.3 percent.