In view of realized and expected labor market conditions and inflation, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 1/2 to 3/4 percent. The stance of monetary policy remains accommodative, thereby supporting some further strengthening in labor market conditions and a return to 2 percent inflation.

China's apparent oil demand slipped into the negative territory in 2016, a sharp reversal from the near 7% growth witnessed a year earlier, as the country's slowest GDP growth in 26 years slashed appetite for industrial and transportation fuels in Asia's biggest oil consuming nation.

Global oil and gas deal activity in 2016 recovered from a slow start to the year with help from the announcements of midstream and oilfield services (OFS) megadeals. Deal value increased in 2016 to US$395 billion from US$340 billion in 2015, while deal volume fell by 27% year-on-year.

Royal Dutch Shell’s fourth quarter 2016 CCS earnings attributable to shareholders were $1.0 billion compared with $1.8 billion for the same quarter a year ago. Full year 2016 CCS earnings attributable to shareholders were $3.5 billion compared with $3.8 billion in 2015.

Exxon Mobil Corporation today announced estimated 2016 earnings of $7.8 billion, or $1.88 per diluted share. An asset recoverability review was completed in the fourth quarter and resulted in a U.S. Upstream asset impairment charge of about $2 billion mainly related to dry gas operations with undeveloped acreage in the Rocky Mountains region of the U.S. Excluding the impairment charge, full year earnings were $9.9 billion compared with $16.2 billion a year earlier, reflecting lower commodity prices and refining margins.

Shell has agreed to sell a package of UK North Sea assets to Chrysaor for a total of up to $3.8bn, including an initial consideration of $3.0bn and a payment of up to $600m between 2018-2021 subject to commodity price, with potential further payments of up to $180m for future discoveries.

Over the past year we have had substantial dialogue with our secured lenders to amend and extend c.USD8 billion in first lien secured debt. During the second half of last year, we began to engage with potential new money investors, including Hemen Holdings Ltd. In December 2016, we formally engaged with an ad hoc committee of bondholders, and agreed that by January 31 2017 we would release through a 6k filing agreed material non-public information disclosed to the ad hoc committee of bondholders, including the Company's latest restructuring proposal and the last proposal that the Company has received from the ad hoc committee.

Real GDP increased 1.6 percent in 2016 (that is, from the 2015 annual level to the 2016 annual level), compared with an increase of 2.6 percent in 2015.

Chevron's full-year 2016 results were a loss of $497 million ($0.27 per share – diluted) compared with earnings of $4.6 billion ($2.45 per share – diluted) in 2015.

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) announced a loss from continuing operations of $149 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2016.

Preliminary production figures for December 2016 show an average daily production of 2 094 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 60 000 barrels per day (approx. 3 percent) compared to November.

The sum total in November of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a monthly net TIC inflow of $23.7 billion. Of this, net foreign private inflows were $25.2 billion, and net foreign official outflows were $1.5 billion.

SHARES of China National Petroleum Corp and Sinopec rebounded during the week on reforms that are set to transform the two oil and gas giants into more competitive and market-focused entities.

The outlook is clouded by uncertainty about policy direction in major economies. A protracted period of uncertainty could prolong the slow growth in investment that is holding back low, middle, and high income countries.

The end of the global commodity super-cycle, particularly the sharp drop in oil prices - Russia’s main export -caused the Russian economy to slip into recession, ushering in a period of difficult economic adjustment. Limited economic diversification and heavy reliance on oil have made Russia vulnerable to terms-of-trade shocks.