2017

U.S. Rig Count is up 200 rigs from last year's count of 541, with oil rigs up 152, gas rigs up 47, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 130 rigs from last year's count of 222, with oil rigs up 89 and gas rigs up 41.

Oil supplies fell by around 1.5 million barrels per day last month, including by 1 million bpd for OPEC, leading to record initial compliance of 90 percent with a six-month output-cut deal reached in December by big producers to boost prices.

Now the human drama watch begins; will Putin cave in to the demands of the West to renounce his allies in exchange for the improved relation and the dropping of sanctions?

Iran's crude oil and condensate exports rose 3% month on month in January as it continued to regain market share, widening its appeal among refiners around the globe in the process.

The average price of spot LNG imports to Japan contracted in January 2017 was $8.40/mn Btu, up from $8/mn Btu in December 2016, the ministry of economy, trade and industry (Meti) said February 9, their highest level for two years. But Japan's IEEJ says that prices have now peaked.

But Lee said that South Korean demand for LNG would keep falling in the short-term due to increased electricity output from nuclear and coal-fired power plants. The country is the world's second-biggest LNG importer after Japan.

Indonesia needs to invest $70 billion to $80 billion in gas infrastructure through 2030 to avoid a potential gas shortage, as domestic consumption growth outpaces supply, state-owned energy business Pertamina said Tuesday.

К 9.23 МСК фьючерсы на нефть сорта Brent выросли на 0,47 процента до $55,38 за баррель. Фьючерсы на американскую нефть WTI к этому времени торговались у отметки $52,57, на 0,44 процента выше предыдущего закрытия.

"Россия не сделала ничего, чтобы заслужить снятие с нее санкций", - заявил один из авторов законопроекта, сенатор-республиканец Линдси Грэхем.

The executives predicted slower growth as “they forecast oil prices to take a long time to rebound to US$70 per barrel,” the point at which prices started to plunge two years ago, said Wu Yi, DNV’s business development manager for China, South Korea and Japan.