"Iran needs billions of dollars of investment to boost crude oil production and natural gas capacity," said Mehdi Varzi, a former official at state-run National Iranian Oil Company and now an independent consultant.

The World Bank’s current investment project portfolio in Ukraine amounts to about US$2.8 billion. Investments support improving basic public services that directly benefit ordinary people in areas such as water supply, sanitation, heating, power, roads, social protection and healthcare, as well as private sector development. Since Ukraine joined the World Bank in 1992, the Bank’s commitments to the country have totaled over US$10 billion in about 70 projects and programs.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. issued the following statement today on the release of the February 2017 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services monthly data. In February 2017, the trade deficit stood at $43.6 billion compared to $45.6 billion in February 2016. In February 2017, exports of goods and services stood at $192.9 billion, compared to $180.7 billion in February 2016. In February 2017, imports of goods and services stood at $236.4 billion, compared to $226.3 billion in February 2016.

To meet Sustainable Energy for All objectives, it is estimated that renewable energy investment would need to increase by a factor of 2-3, while energy efficiency investment would need to increase by a factor of 3-6. Estimates suggest that a five-fold increase would be needed to reach universal access by 2030.

With oil receipts dominating fiscal revenue and exports, the Nigerian economy has been hit hard by low oil prices and falling oil production. The country entered into a recession in 2016, with growth contracting by 1.5 percent. Annual inflation levels doubled to 18.6 percent, reflecting hikes in electricity and fuel tariffs, a weaker naira and accommodating monetary conditions (broad money expanding at 19 percent y-o-y). Even with a significant under-execution in capital spending, the consolidated fiscal deficit increased from 3.5 percent of GDP in 2015 to 4.7 percent of GDP in 2016, because of significant revenue shortfalls.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, profit attributable to our shareholders was 46.6 bln RUB, down 15.0% quarter-on-quarter. For the full year 2016, profit decreased by 29.0% and amounted to 206.8 bln RUB.

ConocoPhillips (COP.N) on Wednesday agreed to sell oil sands and western Canadian natural gas assets to Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE.TO) for C$17.7 billion ($13.3 billion), making it the latest international oil major to pull back from a region where high costs and low crude prices have made it hard for large companies to make an acceptable return.

Saudi Arabia has slashed the tax rate for state energy company Saudi Aramco as the company woos private investors and seeks the highest possible valuation ahead of its planned initial public offering in 2018.

The state-owned company, known as Sinopec Corp, saw fourth quarter net profit jump to 17.25 billion yuan from 9.9 billion yuan in the third quarter, it said in a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The World Bank’s current portfolio in Vietnam consists of 49 operations, worth a total of 9.5 billion USD supporting infrastructure, agriculture, human development and improvement in economic and financial sector management. Support to infrastructure includes transport, energy, water and sanitation, and irrigation.

I strongly welcome the proposed compacts between African and G20 countries to build capacity and unlock investment flows. All five countries in the first wave have Fund-supported arrangements. We will work closely with the authorities to strengthen their macroeconomic frameworks and will step up the provision of technical assistance.

In this difficult environment, the Group demonstrated its resilience by generating adjusted net income of $8.3 billion and had the highest profitability among the majors due to the strength of its integrated model and commitment of its teams to reduce the breakeven.

Nabors Industries Ltd. ("Nabors") (NYSE: NBR) reported full-year 2016 operating revenue of $2.2 billion, compared to operating revenue of $3.9 billion in the prior year, which included $366 million in revenue from the Completion and Production Services segment (NCPS), a business line that merged with C&J Energy Services, Inc. (CJES) on March 24, 2015 and ceased to be consolidated with Nabors on that date. Net income from continuing operations for the year was a loss of $1.0 billion, or $3.58 per share, compared to a loss of $330 million, or $1.14 per share, in FY 2015. Included in the net loss from continuing operations for full year 2016 were total after-tax impairments and other charges of $487 million, or $1.71 per share, as well as $0.80 per share in Nabors' proportional share of CJES' net loss for the period. This compares to prior year impairments and other charges of $380 million, or $1.31 per share, and $0.29 per diluted share for the company's proportional share of CJES' net loss.

NYT - David Rockefeller, the banker and philanthropist with the fabled family name who controlled Chase Manhattan bank for more than a decade and wielded vast influence around the world for even longer as he spread the gospel of American capitalism, died on Monday morning at his home in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. He was 101.

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