March 2019

U.S. BEA - Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.4 percent.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed common goals for nuclear power and the fight against climate change in bilateral talks held on 25 March during Xi’s three-day state visit to France. Macron's statement specifically mentioned the long-awaited project for cooperation to build a plant to reprocess China's used nuclear fuel.

EnBW on Thursday unveiled a 12-billion euro ($13.5 billion) investment plan and said it was close to acquiring French renewable group Valeco, as the German utility continues its strategy of moving away from fossil fuels.

Oil prices were mixed on Wednesday, with Brent extending the previous session’s rise, but gains were kept in check amid growing fears over the impact of a global economic slowdown on demand.

IEA - Energy demand worldwide grew by 2.3% last year, its fastest pace this decade, an exceptional performance driven by a robust global economy and stronger heating and cooling needs in some regions.

U.S. primary energy consumption totaled 101 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu). This total was the highest since at least 1949, the earliest year for which EIA has data.

China's crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia surged 28.5% year on year to 1.56 million b/d in February, surpassing Russia to become the top crude supplier in the month, latest data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

PetroChina Ltd, the listed subsidiary of state-owned CNPC, expects its crude imports from Venezuela to drop by about a third to around 10 million mt (about 186,000 b/d) in 2019 from 15 million mt in 2018, a senior executive said

Aramco’s gas expansion strategy needs $150 billion of investment over the next decade as the company plans to increase output and later become a gas exporter, Nasser had said in November.

The UAE's GDP is set to expand 3.5 percent this year against 2.8 per cent in 2018, thanks to a stimulus package worth AED50 billion announced last year along with a host of other measures for the ease of doing business in all the emirates, said Director of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, while chairing the first quarterly Consultative Council meeting in 2019.