МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - цифры были названы президентом РФ: мы в краткосрочном периоде можем увеличить еще на 200-300 тысяч баррелей, если при этом будет необходимость и целесообразность, потому что основная задача — баланс спроса и предложения, чтобы не нарушить равновесие на рынке, а наоборот его сохранить.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - «Сейчас рынок пытается достичь баланса цен, который будет отвечать как интересам производителей, так и потребителей. И этот уровень, вероятно, чуть ниже, чем тот, что мы видим сейчас. На основной панели Российской энергетической недели президент Владимир Путин говорил о диапазоне $65-75 за баррель, который, с одной стороны, приемлем для производителей и потребителей, с другой - время позволяет возвращать деньги в отрасль для ее стабильного дальнейшего развития», - пояснил Александр Новак.

U.S. EIA - Crude oil inventories held at Cushing, Oklahoma, decreased by more than half since this time last year, recently falling to lows last reached in 2014. Logistical factors and strong demand for crude oil from both domestic refining and exports markets have contributed to the steep year-over-year decrease.

U.S. EIA - During 2017, owners and operators of U.S. nuclear power plants purchased 40 million pounds of uranium from foreign suppliers. Canada, Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan represented the top five countries of origin and together accounted for 84% of total U.S. uranium purchases in 2017.

U.S. EIA - From January through June of 2018, net natural gas exports from the United States averaged 0.87 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), more than double the average daily net exports during all of 2017 (0.34 Bcf/d). The United States, which became a net natural gas exporter on an annual basis in 2017 for the first time in almost 60 years, has continued to export more natural gas than it imports for five of the first six months in 2018.

REUTERS - The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is important to secure German energy supplies and Russia is a safe and reliable provider, Thomas Bareiss, Germany’s state secretary for energy, said.

PLATTS - Japan continued to press for relief from US sanctions against Iran's oil customers during a meeting in Washington this week and urged US counterparts to consider the impact on the Japanese economy.

SHELL - Shell Canada Energy, an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell plc (“Shell”), today announced it has taken a final investment decision (FID) on LNG Canada, a major liquified natural gas (LNG) project in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, in which Shell has a 40% working interest. With LNG Canada’s joint venture participants also having taken FID, construction will start immediately with first LNG expected before the middle of the next decade. Shell’s 40% share of the project’s capital cost is within the company’s current overall capital investment guidance of US$25-$30 billion per year.

U.S. EIA - US oil production average 10.964 million b/d in July. Production in July was up 1.73 million b/d from July 2017. U.S. natural gas production average 100,243 million cubic feet per day. Production in July was up 11,093 mcfd from July 2017.

SHANA - The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) CEO explicitly said his company, the sole producer of hydrocarbons in Iran, had no plans to reduce its output.

PLATTS - Russia's Gazprom and five European energy companies are committed to fully financing Russia's 55 Bcm/year Nord Stream 2 natural gas link to Germany if no external financing is raised

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 1 rig from last week to 1,054, with oil rigs down 3 to 863, gas rigs up 3 to 189, and miscellaneous rigs up 1 to 2. Canada Rig Count is down 19 rigs from last week to 178, with oil rigs down 13 to 122 and gas rigs down 6 to 56.

PLATTS - A 10% tariff on US liquefied natural gas is not steep enough to make shipping cargoes to China unprofitable, but it adds an obstacle for the second generation of American terminals, industry observers said.

U.S. BEA - Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018, according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent.

FRB - In view of realized and expected labor market conditions and inflation, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 2 to 2-1/4 percent.