Oil prices fell on Wednesday as bullish output forecasts by two big U.S. producers and a build in weekly U.S. crude stockpiles outweighed OPEC-led production cuts.

GULF TIMES - As part of his official visit to Qatar, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his accompanying delegation paid a visit to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Secretariat in Doha

PLATTS - Ukraine is preparing for zero Russian gas transit flows in 2020 once Russia's 55 Bcm/year Nord Stream 2 gas link to Germany comes online, but European gas supply security will not be disrupted, a senior Naftogaz executive said

LUKOIL - In 2018, profit attributable to shareholders amounted to RUB 619.2 bln, 47.8% higher year-on-year. The growth was constrained by higher DD&A due to the launch of new production facilities.

NOVATEK - PAO NOVATEK (“NOVATEK” and/or the “Company”) and TOTAL S.A. signed a Sales and Purchase Agreement (“Agreement”) in relation to the sale of a 10% participation interest in the Arctic LNG 2 project (the “Project”), within the binding agreement, signed at the 22nd Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in May 2018. The transaction will be closed by the end of first quarter 2019.

Oil prices rose on Monday, buoyed by output cuts by producer club OPEC and reports that the United States and China are close to a deal to end a bitter tariff row that has slowed global economic growth.

2017-18 was a strong year for the Future Fund, delivering a return of 9.3% and adding over $12 billion in earnings.

The USA risks losing a substantial portion of its nuclear power capacity unless it takes policy action, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol told the US Senate

BHGE - U.S. Rig Count is up 57 rigs from last year's count of 981, with oil rigs up 43 and gas rigs up 14. Canada Rig Count is down 91 rigs from last year's count of 302, with oil rigs down 71 and gas rigs down 20.

Oil prices climbed on Friday as markets tightened amid output cuts by producer club OPEC, but surging U.S. supply and concerns of global economic slowdown kept a lid on further gains.

The next 10-15 years will be a period of stable development for the oil industry and prices will remain relatively high at $60-$70/b, the CEO of Lukoil, Russia's second-largest crude producer, said Wednesday.

Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $59 per barrel (b) in January, up $2/b from December 2018 but $10/b lower than the average in January of last year.

MEOG - Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser gave a speech at London Petroleum Week about the oil and gas industry's future--or, rather its perceived lack of a future. He addressed what he called a "worrying and growing belief among policy makers and regulators, investment houses, NGOs, and many others that we are an industry with little or no future."

Novatek’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Gyetvay said the company would build all equipment and technology in Russia to protect itself. “We will not hold ourselves hostage to U.S. sanctions,” he told the IP Week conference in London.

Russia delivered a record amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe in February, becoming the biggest supplier of the chilled fuel to the continent for the first time.