June 2018

REUTERS - May shipments were 39.05 million tonnes, or 9.2 million barrels per day (bpd), according to data released on Friday by the General Administration of Customs. That compared to 9.6 million bpd in April and 8.76 million bpd in May, 2017.

BLOOMBERG - Venezuela wrote to fellow OPEC members urging them to unite against U.S. sanctions, echoing a similar letter from Iran, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

BEA - The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $46.2 billion in April, down $1.0 billion from $47.2 billion in March, revised.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - энергетика занимает высокое место в структуре торгово-экономического сотрудничества. В частности, в качестве перспективных направлений взаимодействия, были выделены: кооперация в газовой сфере, включая проекты «Сахалин-2» и третью технологическую линию завода, Ямал СПГ, Арктик СПГ-2, а также сотрудничества в области электроэнергетики, в том числе исследования целесообразности и условий соединения энергосистем России и Республики Корея.

REUTERS - “What we’ll be looking to see is that it ensures the establishment of an independent and trustworthy anti-corruption court that meets the expectation of the Ukrainian people,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a briefing.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - The worldwide rig count for May 2018 was 2,096, up 9 from the 2,087 counted in April 2018, and up 161 from the 1,935 counted in May 2017.

WNN - Tokamak Energy announced today that it has achieved plasma temperatures of over 15 million degrees Celsius, hotter than the centre of the Sun. The Oxford, England-based company turned on its ST40 reactor for the first time in April 2017.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 10 cents, or 0.2 percent, $65.71 a barrel by 2353 GMT. Last week, WTI lost around 3 percent, adding to a near 5 percent decline a week before. The global benchmark Brent fell 26 cents, or 0.34 percent, to $76.53 a barrel.

REUTERS - “We have to look into the situation which has panned out on the market today, from the point of view of the volume cuts, inventories decline, shortages on the market, and to adjust the figures,” Novak told reporters.

PLATTS - Russia's largest crude oil producer, Rosneft, is in a position to add 100,000 b/d to production in a few days if the conditions of the OPEC/non-OPEC production cut deal are eased, analysts at Aton said in a research note released following meetings with Rosneft officials.