EIA - North Sea Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $63 per barrel (b) in November, an increase of $5/b from the average in October. EIA forecasts Brent spot prices to average $57/b in 2018, up from an average of $54/b in 2017.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $57.14 a barrel at 0418 GMT, down 22 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last settlement. Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were down 25 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $63.15 a barrel.

Russia has three oil export terminals on its Arctic coast. Shipments began from Lukoil PJSC's 240,000 barrel a day Varandey terminal in 2008. It now handles about 150,000 daily barrels from nearby fields. Gazprom Neft's Prirazlomnoye field produces approximately 80,000 barrels a day, with a target capacity of 130,000. The same company's 170,000 barrel a day Arctic Gate terminal started operations this year and exports about 150,000 barrels a day from the Novoportovskoye field. Crude from all three terminals is shipped in shuttle tankers to Murmansk, from where cargoes are sent on larger vessels to Europe.

REUTERS - State oil company Saudi Aramco last week raised prices for all crude oil grades to Asia in January.

“Tight oil supplies are the wild card. They have reshaped the global outlook in recent years,” observed Ayed S. Al-Qahtani, who directs the research division at the OPEC Secretariat in Vienna. “US tight oil supplies will be the most important contributor but are expected to reach their peak around 2025.”

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $56.58 a barrel at 0714 GMT, down 11 cents, or 0.2 percent from their last settlement. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were down 8 cents, or 0.1 percent, at $62.12 a barrel.

REUTERS - China’s natural gas imports in November rose to a record as domestic demand surged while crude imports were the second-highest ever, as refiners ramped up output to cash in on strong profits as fuel prices soar, customs data showed on Friday.

BLOOMBERG - With a fragile political accord barely holding the country together, Libya faces an array of challenges preventing its return to the output levels of about 1.6 million barrels a day pumped before the 2011 uprising against Muammar Qaddafi.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were down 6 cents at $62.80 a barrel as of 0751 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $57.50 a barrel, down 22 cents.

BLOOMBERG - Libya, which has been stepping up efforts to boost oil output, will maintain its current production level until the end of next year to stay in line with OPEC’s agreement to trim global supplies.

PLATTS - Colder weather outlooks for major heating regions support the upside, while the recent and impending lackluster pace of storage erosion is keeping downward pressure on the market. At 6:50 am ET (1150 GMT) the contract was 5.2 cents lower at $2.933/MMBtu.

BLOOMBERG - West Texas Intermediate for January delivery was at $57.93 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 2:02 p.m. in Seoul, down 43 cents. The contract gained 96 cents to settle at $58.36 on Friday. Total volume traded was about 21 percent below the 100-day average. Brent for February settlement dropped 36 cents to $63.37 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices added $1.10, or 1.8 percent, to close at $63.73 on Friday. The global benchmark crude was at a premium of $5.43 to February WTI.

REUTERS - The outcome represents a successful compromise between de facto OPEC leader Saudi Arabia (which wanted to announce an extension throughout 2018) and non-OPEC heavyweight Russia (which wanted to avoid giving such a long commitment).

OPEC - In agreeing to this decision, Member Countries confirmed their continued focus on a stable and balanced oil market, in the interests of both producers and consumers. Member Countries remain committed to being dependable and reliable suppliers of crude and products to global markets.

BLOOMBERG - West Texas Intermediate for January delivery was at $57.72 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 32 cents, at 7:50 a.m. in London. Total volume traded was about 16 percent below the 100-day average. Prices rose 10 cents to $57.40 on Thursday, capping a 5.6 percent gain for November. Brent for February settlement climbed 43 cents to $63.06 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The January contract expired Thursday after adding 46 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $63.57. The global benchmark crude was at a premium of $5.32 to February WTI.