June 2018

IMF: Austria’s economy is robust. Supported by expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, growth has picked up markedly, to 3 percent in 2017 and 3.1 percent (y/y) in Q1 2018. A recovery in private investment and a favorable external environment as growth in Europe accelerated more broadly, have underpinned growth. Concomitantly, unemployment has declined recently. Inflation remains broadly stable, at 2 percent (y/y) in April.

REUTERS - Norway, which shares an Arctic border with Russia, lacks a “credible plan” how to meet NATO’s spending target, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a letter to the country’s prime minister, the Norwegian daily VG reported on Tuesday.

REUTERS - Indonesia’s deputy energy minister said on Tuesday Chevron Corp intended to cut planned investment in the Indonesia deepwater development (IDD) gas project to around $6 billion from $12.8 billion.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $74.22 per barrel at 0455 GMT, down 1.8 percent from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $68.42 a barrel, down 0.2 percent, supported more than Brent by a slight drop in U.S. drilling activity and a Canadian supply outage.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - На пресс-конференции по итогам заседания Министр энергетики Российской Федерации Александр Новак отметил, что доля России в общем увеличении добычи нефти стран ОПЕК и не-ОПЕК в 1 млн баррелей в сутки может составить около 200 тыс.

SHANA - The Iranian official, following the 174th ordinary meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said: As I said on the minute of my arrival in Vienna, we needed to fully comply with the output reduction agreement of the organization and nothing more.”

WSJ - U.S. production has grown at a record-setting pace this year, hitting 10.9 million barrels a day this month after oil prices exceeded $70 a barrel for the first time since 2014. That makes the U.S. the world’s No. 2 oil producer behind Russia, but ahead of Saudi Arabia.

REUTERS - Venezuela has the ability to boost crude output by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) by end of the year in its bid to recover lost production, but the oil minister also said on Friday this goal would be “a challenge” for state oil firm PDVSA.

PLATTS - The Libyan National Army has retaken the key eastern oil terminals of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider that shut 450,000 b/d of crude production, the head of the state-owned National Oil Corp. said Friday.

NOVATEK - According to the MOU, the parties agreed to explore opportunities for KOGAS to enter the Arctic LNG 2 project and possible LNG off-take from the project, participate in the LNG transshipment project in Kamchatka and other infrastructure projects, as well as develop cooperation in LNG trading and logistics optimization, including swap operations.