FRB - Industrial production rose 0.7 percent in April for its third consecutive monthly increase. The rates of change for industrial production for previous months were revised downward, on net; for the first quarter, output is now reported to have advanced 2.3 percent at an annual rate.

WNN - Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, signed a series of agreements with overseas companies during the Atomexpo conference and exhibition being held this week in Sochi, Russia. The agreements, with Chile, China, Cuba, Finland, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Spain and Zambia, include the engineering and medical sectors, among others.

REUTERS - “We urge relevant parties to earnestly respect China’s sovereign and jurisdictional rights and not do anything that could impact bilateral relations or this region’s peace and stability,” the spokesman, Lu Kang, told a regular news briefing on Thursday.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures were at $78.22 per barrel at 0644 GMT, down 21 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $71.03 a barrel, down 28 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last settlement.

PLATTS - "It is too early to say [what the impact of the US decision on the oil market will be]. In any case, we have all the tools that could be used to balance the market," Novak said, commenting on the potential impact of the move on the oil markets.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Стороны обсудили состояние и перспективы взаимодействия в энергетической сфере как по линии поставок энергоресурсов и реализации инфраструктурных объектов, так и сотрудничества на уровне коммерческих предприятий. «Целый ряд германских энергетических концернов активно и успешно ведет свою деятельность с российскими партнерами», - сказал Александр Новак.

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 апреля по 14 мая 2018 года составила $ 71,87525 за баррель, или $ 524,7 за тонну. Согласно расчетам Минфина России экспортная пошлина на нефть в РФ с 1 июня 2018 года повысится на $ 13,3 и составит $ 131,8 за тонну.

BLOOMBERG - India’s oil consumption surged 4.5 percent in April as industrial activity gathered pace in Asia’s third-largest economy and sales of trucks and buses soared.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Двусторонний диалог в таком формате возобновился спустя пять лет. При этом сотрудничество в области ТЭК играет значимую роль в торгово-экономических отношениях России и Нидерландов. Совместно реализуются значимые для обеих стран энергетические проекты - «Турецкий поток», «Сахалин – 2», «Северный поток 2», «Балтийский СПГ», «Каспийский трубопроводный консорциум», проект разработки Салымских месторождений, проект локализации производства ветроэнергетических установок в России.

BLOOMBERG - Europe and China will be comparable in significance as importing regions in the coming years, Cheniere Energy Inc. said, citing data from Wood Mackenzie Ltd. That follows “absolutely phenomenal” growth in China last year, Andrew Walker, vice president for strategy at the company that pioneered the transformation of the U.S. shale boom into global exports, said in Amsterdam.

BLOOMBERG - Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., the Abuja-based behemoth that dominates the OPEC member’s energy industry, has made losses for at least the last three years,

EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 144,000 b/d month-over-month in June from 7,034 to 7,178 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 1,092 million cubic feet/day from 67,027 to 68,119 million cubic feet/day .

NPD - Preliminary production figures for April 2018 show an average daily production of 1 868 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 34 000 barrels per day compared to March.

WNN - Speaking on the opening day of the conference being held this week in Sochi, Russia, Rising said nuclear energy had a vital role to play in the global energy mix, providing a strong foundation of reliable and low-carbon generation to help support more variable clean energy generation options.

ROSATOM - “Signing the contract opens a new chapter in the partnership between Russia and Zambia. In the nearest future, we plan to start extensive practical works, including engineering surveys at the site of the centre, assessment of nuclear infrastructure and subsequent development plan in accordance with IAEA recommendations as well as global and Russian best practice. Construction of the center will enable the Republic of Zambia to become one of the leading players in nuclear technologies application in the Central and Southern African region”.