The end of the global commodity super-cycle, particularly the sharp drop in oil prices - Russia’s main export -caused the Russian economy to slip into recession, ushering in a period of difficult economic adjustment. Limited economic diversification and heavy reliance on oil have made Russia vulnerable to terms-of-trade shocks.

Global capital spending by leading exploration and production companies will total $450bn in 2017, up 3 per cent compared to 2016 and ending two years of steep declines, according to Wood Mac forecasts published on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the number of final investment decisions by these 60 E&P companies — which range from large multinationals and independents to national oil groups — on new upstream projects will double to more than 20 in 2017, from nine last year.

Oil companies are starting to hire back workers as they add rigs to the shale patch in North America to take advantage of oil prices above $50 a barrel. After unprecedented spending cuts over the past two years, explorers are forecast to boost capital expenditures by 7 percent this year.

Russia and 10 other non-OPEC nations joined forces with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries on Dec. 10 to end a global glut that’s crashed oil prices and shaken energy-rich economies. The pact — the first between the two sides in 15 years — involves a reduction of 558,000 barrels a day from non-OPEC countries starting in January.

Senior U.S. Republican and Democratic senators will introduce legislation on Tuesday seeking to impose a wide range of sanctions on Russia over its cyber activities and actions in Syria and Ukraine.

“Today’s report shows evidence that the consistent decline in oil and natural gas drilling could be coming to an end,” said Hazem Arafa, director of API’s statistics department.

Saudi officials are seeking to transform Saudi Aramco into the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, which they say is worth about $2tn.

Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE:BHI) announced today that the international rig count for December 2016 was 929, up 4 from the 925 counted in November 2016, and down 166 from the 1,095 counted in December 2015. The international offshore rig count for December 2016 was 210, down 1 from the 211 counted in November 2016, and down 40 from the 250 counted in December 2015.

U.S. Rig Count is up 1 rig from last year's count of 664, with oil rigs up 13, gas rigs down 13, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 39 rigs from last year's count of 166, with oil rigs up 10, gas rigs up 28, and miscellaneous rigs up 1.

U.S. Rig Count is down 40 rigs from last year's count of 698, with oil rigs down 11, gas rigs down 30, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 74 rigs from last year's count of 83, with oil rigs up 40, gas rigs up 29, and miscellaneous rigs up 5.

A new deposit in Serbia’s Pannonian oil and gas basin may contain recoverable reserves of 432,000 tonnes, according to Russia's PJSC Gazprom Neft. The Idos-X-4 well was drilled to the Neogene-aged formation at a depth of 2,268-2,287 m in the Idos-Sever (Northern Idos) field.

U.S. Rig Count is down 47 rigs from last year's count of 700, with oil rigs down 15, gas rigs down 33, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 98 rigs from last year's count of 126, with oil rigs up 62, gas rigs up 31, and miscellaneous rigs up 5.

U.S. and European Union sanctions and a collapse in global oil prices have hurt the Russian economy and starved it of much-needed foreign investment.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA said on Wednesday it will sell $2.2 billion worth of assets to France's Total SA, including stakes in oilfields and two thermal power stations.

Preliminary production figures for November 2016 show an average daily production of 2 153 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is an increase of 37 000 barrels per day (approx. 2 percent) compared to October.