Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government wants to raise the share of natural gas in India’s energy mix to 15 percent in the next few years from about 6.5 percent now.

Indonesia plans to increase LPG imports from Saudi Arabia and the UAE in a bid to meet rising domestic demand, Energy and Mines Ministry spokesman Dadan Kusdiana said

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at $60.55 per barrel at 0655 GMT, 10 cents or 0.15 percent above their last settlement and near their highest level since July 2015. They have risen more than 36 percent since from 2017-lows marked in June. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 11 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $54.01 a barrel.

WBG - Oil prices are forecast to rise to $56 a barrel in 2018 from $53 this year as a result of steadily growing demand, agreed production cuts among oil exporters and stabilizing U.S. shale oil production, while the surge in metals prices is expected to level off next year, the World Bank said.

IMF - Saudi Arabia had made good progress in initiating its ambitious reform agenda. Fiscal consolidation efforts are beginning to bear fruit. Progress with reforms to improve the business environment are gaining momentum, and a framework to increase the transparency and accountability of government is in place. Effective prioritization, sequencing, and coordination of the reforms is essential, and they need to be well-communicated and equitable to gain social buy-in to ensure their success.

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.0 percent in the third quarter of 2017, according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.1 percent.

ExxonMobil and Chevron, the two largest US oil and gas groups, are continuing to lose money on oil and gas production in their home country, in spite of the rise in commodity prices since last year.

U.S. Rig Count is up 352 rigs from last year's count of 557, with oil rigs up 296, gas rigs up 58, and miscellaneous rigs down 2 to 0. Canada Rig Count is up 38 rigs from last year's count of 153, with oil rigs up 23 and gas rigs up 15.

Brent LCOc1 rose 59 cents to $58.89 a barrel by 10:51 a.m. ET, after rising to a session high of $60.08, the highest since July 2015 and more than 35 percent above its 2017 lows touched in June. U.S. light crude oil CLc1 was up 78 cents, or 1.48 percent at $53.42 after rising to a session high of $53.52 a barrel. U.S. crude prices have been capped by rising U.S. production.

«Средняя цена на нефть выше примерно на 30% по сравнению с прошлым годом. Также мы наблюдаем оздоровление экономики и повышение спроса. Еще один результат соглашения – достигнутый уровень доверия между странами», - сказал Александр Новак.

Отвечая на вопрос о прогнозе мирового потребления нефти, Александр Новак отметил, что спрос на нефть будет расти в ближайшие пару десятилетий, но более низкими темпами, чем рост экономики. «Чуть меньше 1% в период ближайших 15-20 лет», - пояснил Министр.

Oil closed at its highest in more than two years in London, nearing $60 a barrel, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman backed the extension of OPEC output cuts.

EIA - Global natural gas consumption is expected to grow from 340 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2015 to 485 Bcf/d by 2040, primarily in countries in Asia and in the Middle East. China accounts for more than a quarter of all global natural gas consumption growth between 2015 and 2040.

National Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE: NOV) reported a third quarter 2017 net loss of $26 million, or $0.07 per share. Revenues for the third quarter of 2017 were $1.84 billion, an increase of four percent compared to the second quarter of 2017 and an increase of eleven percent from the third quarter of 2016. Operating loss for the third quarter was $7 million, or 0.4 percent of sales. Adjusted EBITDA (operating profit excluding other items before depreciation and amortization) for the third quarter was $167 million, or 9.1 percent of sales, an increase of $25 million from the second quarter of 2017. Cash flow from operations for the third quarter was $232 million.

In the third quarter of 2017, our total revenues amounted to RR 130.7 billion and Normalized EBITDA, including our share in EBITDA of joint ventures, totalled RR 59.3 billion, representing increases of 3.3% and 2.7%, respectively, as compared to the corresponding period in 2016.