EIA - Venezuela’s crude oil production has been on a downward trend for two decades, but it has experienced significant decreases over the past two years. Crude oil production in Venezuela decreased from 2.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in January 2016 to 1.6 million b/d in January 2018. A combination of relatively low global crude oil prices and the mismanagement of Venezuela’s oil industry has led to these accelerated declines in production.

EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 131,000 b/d month-over-month in April from 6,823 to 6,954 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 969 million cubic feet/day from 65,150 to 66,119 million cubic feet/day .

FT - The loans bring total Chinese energy finance in Africa since 2000 to $34.8bn. While this is well behind the $69bn lent in Europe and Central Asia, the $62bn in Latin America and the $60bn in Asia over the same period, the 2017 data illustrate Africa’s growing importance.

EIA - Brent global benchmark crude oil price will increase throughout the projection period but will remain lower than prices during 2010–2014 in real dollar terms. For this reason, future investment growth in higher-cost resources is expected to be lower than in recent history. Global production of tight oil will increase by 3.3 million b/d, offshore deepwater by 2.7 million b/d, and oil sands by 1.4 million b/d between 2017 and 2040. Total production increases from these sources makes up nearly half of the long-term global liquids supply growth through 2040.

REUTERS - “The stability in oil prices is a net positive. If energy companies can demonstrate to investors that they can generate cash flow in the current oil price environment, they can go public,” said Grant Kernaghan, Citigroup’s managing director of Canadian investment banking. “The recent volatility hasn’t resulted in markets shutting down,” he added, suggesting equity markets were still open despite a 10-session period up to Feb. 8 when the S&P 500 dropped over 10 percent.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 3 rigs from last week to 984, with oil rigs down 4 to 796, gas rigs up 7 to 188. Canada Rig Count is down 29 rigs from last week to 273, with oil rigs down 15 to 196 and gas rigs down 14 to 77.

OPEC - The OPEC Reference Basket increased for the fifth-straight month in January, gaining a sharp 7.7% to average $66.85/b, the highest monthly average since November 2014. Oil prices were supported by continuing efforts by OPEC and participating non-OPEC producers to balance the market and ten consecutive weeks of crude inventory draws amid healthy economic growth and improving oil demand.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Александр Новак отметил, что одним из ключевых факторов углубления торгово-экономического сотрудничества является активная работа в инвестиционной и финансовой сферах. "Считаю необходимым активизировать работу в данном направлении с тем, чтобы обеспечить увеличение объемов торговли в наших национальных валютах, а также еще более упростить процедуры расчета», - сказал глава российского энергетического ведомства.

REUTERS -“We all should look with responsibility to the market in order to keep the balance in the market as much as we can so as not to harm investors,” said Ali Nazar, Iraq’s national representative to OPEC.

REUTERS - Any deal between the Philippines and a Chinese firm to jointly explore for gas in the Reed Bank of the South China Sea will be illegal unless China recognizes the southeast Asian nation’s sovereign rights there, a Philippine judge said on Monday.

NPD - The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s (NPD’s) estimate for total proven and unproven petroleum resources on the Norwegian continental shelf is about 15.6 billion standard cubic metres of oil equivalents.

GT - Santos and its GLNG partners—Petronas, Total and KOGAS—will make a massive capital investment of $900 million in upstream developments in the Maranoa, Western Downs, Central Highlands and Banana regions in Queensland this year.

REUTERS - French energy company Total (TOTF.PA) substantially raised its presence in Libya with the purchase of a 16.33 percent stake in Libya’s Waha concessions from U.S. Marathon Oil (MRO.N) for $450 million on Friday.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 3 rigs from last week to 981, with oil rigs up 1 to 800, gas rigs up 2 to 181, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. Canada Rig Count is down 4 rigs from last week to 302, with oil rigs up 2 to 211 and gas rigs down 6 to 91.

PLATTS - "I think we are seeing more cooperation, and my hope is that this group of OPEC and non-OPEC will incentivize the adequate investments among themselves to ensure we have adequate supply in the market," he said. "My worry is not an oversupply. My worry is an undersupply. Everyone is expecting that we will have more demand coming in the future."