U.S. BEA - Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to the "initial" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.4 percent.

RECHARGE - The EU will spend up to €10bn ($11.37bn) supporting innovative low-carbon technologies in sectors such as renewables and energy storage over the next decade, said the European Commission.

The leaders of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have said the two countries will seek opportunities to cooperate in the field of nuclear energy beyond their current collaboration on the Barakah nuclear power plant project. This will include opportunities in third countries.

IMF - Looking ahead, Armenia's growth is expected to moderate to about 4½ percent in 2019, reflecting a weaker global environment and copper prices, and remain in the 4-5 percent range over the medium term. CPI inflation is projected to gradually converge to the CBA’s target of 4 percent over the next two years, as one-off factors wane. The current account deficit is expected to gradually narrow to around 5 percent of GDP. The risks to the outlook are mainly external.

NB - The Government Pension Fund Global returned -6.1 percent, or -485 billion kroner, in 2018.

EXXONMOBIL - ExxonMobil said it has made a natural gas discovery offshore Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean at the Glaucus-1 well.

Repsol posted net income of 2.341 billion euros in 2018, a 10% increase from the 2.121 billion earned in 2017 and the highest in eight years. This was achieved with average Brent oil prices at 71 dollars per barrel last year, compared with more than 111 dollars in 2011.

Oil prices rose on Wednesday after a report of declining U.S. crude inventories and as producer club OPEC seemed to stick to its supply cuts despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Abu Dhabi: Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazroui said the oil market is on the “right track” and that the market will quickly return to balance in the first quarter of this year.

REUTERS - Based on current market data, the so-called OPEC+ group is “likely to continue with the production cuts until the end of the year”, the source told Reuters.

“Our industry has made a pivotal and sustained contribution to the global economy and people’s lives, around the world, day after day for over a century. Two billion more people today have access to ample, affordable, and reliable sources of energy than even just a generation ago,”

REUTERS - Gazprom’s share of the European gas market rose to a record high 36.7 percent last year from 34.7 percent in 2017, the company said.

EXXONMOBIL - Exxon Mobil Corporation added 4.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels of proved oil and gas reserves in 2018, replacing 313 percent of the year’s production.

The 3rd Latin America Energy Forum will address the needs of Latin America's evolving energy sector, exploring the evolution of the region’s energy mix and the role of gas in supporting the increased use of nonconventional renewables.

PLATTS - China's crude imports from Venezuela surged 50.7% month on month to 411,000 b/d or 1.74 million mt in January, posting the fifth month in a row of increase after hitting a four-year low last September, data released by the General Administration of Customs showed