U.S. FRB - Industrial production edged up 0.1 percent in July after rising at an average pace of 0.5 percent over the previous five months. Manufacturing production increased 0.3 percent, the output of utilities moved down 0.5 percent, and, after posting five consecutive months of growth, the index for mining declined 0.3 percent. At 108.0 percent of its 2012 average, total industrial production was 4.2 percent higher in July than it was a year earlier. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector was unchanged in July at 78.1 percent, a rate that is 1.7 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2017) average.

PLATTS - China Gas Holdings is expected to import around 10 million mt/year of LPG over the next five years, up from the current 2.8 million mt/year, as the Hong Kong-listed gas operator and service provider seeks to expand into the petrochemical sector, industry sources said recently.

PLATTS - South Korea's crude oil imports from Iran halved in July from a year earlier in the wake of the reimposition of US sanctions, according to preliminary data released by the Korea Customs Service Thursday.

REUTERS - Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were down 3 cents at $71.40 a barrel by 00229 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 dropped 1 cent to $65.45 a barrel.

GAZPROM NEFT - For the first six months of 2018 Gazprom Neft achieved revenue** growth of 24.4% year-on-year, at one trillion, 137.7 billion rubles (RUB1,137,700,000,000). The Company achieved a 49.8% year-on-year increase in adjusted EBITDA, to RUB368.2 billion. This performance reflected positive market conditions for oil and oil products, production growth at the Company’s new projects, and effective management initiatives. Net profit attributable to Gazprom Neft PJSC shareholders grew 49.6% year on year, to RUB166.4 billion. Growth in the Company’s operating cash flow, as well as the completion of key infrastructure investments at new upstream projects, delivered positive free cash flow of RUB47.5 billion for 1H 2018.

REUTERS - Japanese utilities and industrial companies are snapping up U.S. cargoes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that are seeking a new home after Chinese buyers started to shun them amid an escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 13 rigs from last week to 1,057, with oil rigs up 10 to 869, gas rigs up 3 to 186, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2. Canada Rig Count is down 14 rigs from last week to 209, with oil rigs down 12 to 140 and gas rigs down 2 to 69.

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 июля по 14 августа 2018 года составила $ 71,05341 за баррель, или $ 518,7 за тонну. Согласно расчетам Минфина России, экспортная пошлина на нефть в РФ с 1 сентября 2018 года понизится на $ 5,4 и составит $ 130 за тонну.

U.S. API - The American Petroleum Institute’s latest monthly statistical report shows the U.S. set a record for the production of natural gas liquids (NGL) last month producing 4.4 million barrels per day (mb/d). July also saw the U.S. tie its record for crude oil production at 10.7 mb/d.

PLATTS - Japan's Mitsubishi has agreed to acquire a 25% interest in Bangladesh's Summit LNG import project, which includes a floating, storage and regasification unit, with the remaining 75% held by Summit Corporation, the Japanese LNG trader said in a statement late last week.

ARAB NEWS - “Total has officially left the agreement for the development of phase 11 of South Pars (gas field). It has been more than two months that it announced that it would leave the contract,” he told the ICANA news agency, which is linked to the oil ministry.

SAUDI ARAMCO - 2017 highlights: Produced an average of 10.2 million barrels per day of crude oil including condensate Increased amount of natural gas supplied for fourth straight year, to an average of 8.7 billion standard cubic feet per day Crude oil exports averaged 6.9 million barrels per day

REUTERS - Brent crude futures, a benchmark for international oil prices, were at $72.11 per barrel at 0803 GMT, up 28 cents. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 3 cents at $65.94 per barrel.

WNN - Notable nuclear power sector achievements included the longest operating run for the Kaiga 1 pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR), which has now achieved over 826 days of continuous operation taking it to third in the world, he said. Basu also highlighted the start of excavations and equipment ordering for two 700 MWe PHWRs at Gorakhpur; the signature in March 2018 with EDF of the Industrial Way Forward agreement for the establishment of six EPR units in Jaitapur; and the tripartite agreement between Bangladesh, India, and Russia for the establishment of Bangladesh's Rooppur nuclear power plant, for which India is also providing technical support.

PLATTS - EGAT, Thailand's largest power producer, will import the gas at PTT's Map Ta Phut LNG receiving terminal where the utility has acquired access to 1.5 million mt/year of regasification capacity from PTT LNG for a 38-year period from 2019-2056.

NORWAY'S FUND - The Government Pension Fund Global returned 1.8 percent, or 167 billion kroner, in the second quarter of 2018.

U.S. API - API emphasized the counterproductive effects of Section 301 tariffs on America’s natural gas and oil sector, underscoring the damaging impact that Chinese retaliatory tariffs would have on U.S. LNG exports, and urged the Administration not to impose additional tariffs on Chinese products at today’s hearing before the U.S. Trade Representative on Section 301.

OGJ - the ICC tribunal awarded ConocoPhillips $2.04 billion after PDVSA failed to uphold its contractual commitments. The award applies to contracts ConocoPhillips had with PDVSA and two of its subsidiaries in the Hamaca and Petrozuata heavy crude oil projects expropriated by the government and to fiscal changes enacted before the nationalizations in 2007.

FT - The German official welcomed an agreement reached earlier this month between the Caspian littoral states — Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan — on a legal framework for sharing the Caspian, the world’s largest inland body of water.

REUTERS - Australian oil and gas firm Santos Ltd said on Wednesday it has agreed to buy privately held Quadrant Energy for at least $2.15 billion, bagging access to what may be the biggest oil find off Western Australia in over two decades.