U.S. DT - Over the first three quarters of 2018, the U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2 percent, the fastest pace for the first three quarters of a year since 2005. Initial data for the fourth quarter indicate the economy continued to perform well, although slowing global growth and the housing sector could present headwinds. Private forecasters in the Blue Chip Economic Indicators monthly survey now estimate that real GDP growth slowed to 2.7 percent in the fourth quarter, and will slow further to 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019.

API - U.S. production of crude oil (11.7 mb/d) and natural gas liquids (NGLs) (4.8 mb/d); Crude oil exports (2.4 mb/d, tie with Nov. 2018);

EIA - U.S. crude oil production continues to set annual records through the mid-2020s and remains greater than 14.0 million barrels per day (b/d) through 2040. The continued development of tight oil and shale gas resources, particularly those in the East and Southwest regions, supports growth in NGPL production—which reaches 6.0 million b/d by 2030—and dry natural gas production. Dry natural gas production reaches 43.4 trillion cubic feet by 2050.

IMF - Economic activity in Latin America continues to rise, but at a slower rate than previously anticipated. Overall, the region is expected to advance by 2 percent in 2019 and 2.5 percent in 2020—still well below peer countries in other regions.

BHGE - U.S. Rig Count is up 9 rigs from last week to 1,059 rigs, with oil rigs up 10 to 862 and gas rigs down 1 to 197. Canada Rig Count is up 23 rigs from last week to 232, with oil rigs up 18 to 146 and gas rigs up 5 to 86.

U.S. EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 62,000 b/d month-over-month in February from 8,117 to 8,179 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 849 million cubic feet/day from 76,708 to 77,557 million cubic feet/day .

REUTERS - Saudi Aramco, the world’s top oil producer, is looking to acquire natural gas assets in the United States and is willing to spend “billions of dollars” there as it aims to become a global gas player, the company’s CEO said on Tuesday.

WNN - The mobile nuclear reactor is required to produce a threshold power of 1-10 MWe of generation, which it must be able to produce for at least three years without refuelling. It must weigh less than 40 tonnes and be sized for transportability by truck, ship, and C-17 aircraft. Designs must be "inherently safe", ensuring that a meltdown is "physically impossible" in various complete failure scenarios such as loss of power or cooling, and must use ambient air as their ultimate heat sink, as well as being capable of capable of passive cooling.

PLATTS - US onshore E&P capital investments in 2019 are likely to be flat to slightly down from last year, with international activity outside North America picking up slowly over the next several months, Schlumberger's top executive said.

U.S. EIA - EIA expects non-hydroelectric renewable energy resources such as solar and wind will be the fastest growing source of U.S. electricity generation for at least the next two years.

BHGE - U.S. Rig Count is down 25 rigs from last week to 1,050 rigs, with oil rigs down 21 to 852 and gas rigs down 4 to 198. Canada Rig Count is up 25 rigs from last week to 209, with oil rigs up 25 to 128 and gas rigs unchanged at 81.

REUTERS - Germany will try to protect German and European companies from some potentially “massive collateral damage” if Washington levies further sanctions against Russia, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

REUTERS - Threatening to impose U.S. sanctions on companies involved in the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is unacceptable, the head of Austria’s OMV, which has a stake in the project, told Germany’s Handelsblatt.

REUTERS - The United States has warned German companies involved in the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that they could face sanctions if they stick with the project.

U.S. EIA - Crude oil production in Iraq averaged 4.5 million barrels per day (b/d) through August 2018, up from 4.4 million b/d in 2017. Iraq’s crude oil production has been steadily increasing since declines in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and it has nearly doubled over the past decade.