The World Bank on Tuesday lowered its global growth forecast for 2015 and next year due to disappointing economic prospects in the euro zone, Japan and some major emerging economies that offset the benefit of lower oil prices.

Robust recovery in the United States, a moribund euro zone and slowing Chinese growth reflect global splits which plunging oil prices are likely to widen.

The halving of oil prices over the past six months has caught pretty much every economist by surprise and prompted a rush to explain the reasons behind this astounding drop and the consequences for the global economy .

Energy security is a topic of growing concern to many EU countries and the Western Balkans, here defined as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia, could play a role in improving that security through possible investment in liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and new gas pipelines.

The falling oil price is a huge shot in the arm. Nonetheless, it is clear that the ECB will have to do something. There is no growth and the debt burden is too high. The world will be flying on one engine, the U.S., for quite some time.

Plunging oil prices are giving a bump to consumer and business spending around the world -- just not enough to increase global growth forecasts.

Sharp drop expected in global E&P spending in 2015

Plunging oil prices have sparked a big rally in Asian government bond markets as lower fuel costs cut inflation expectations, but the rally could be built on shallow foundations as monetary policymakers remain out of step with tumbling bond yields.

After last year’s plunges in oil and the ruble, Russian President Vladimir Putin now has another thing to worry about: the price of natural gas.

Crude lost another 11 per cent this week amid continuing worries about a supply surplus as demand slows, with the Brent benchmark falling below $50 a barrel.

BHI: US rig count plunges 61 units in last week

Oversupply in crude markets could take months or even years to fix depending on when producers outside OPEC cut their output, Abu Dhabi-based The National reported, citing comments by U.A.E. Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei.

Crude oil markets continue to search for a bottom as prices declined again in December and the first week of January. The North Sea Brent front month futures price settled at $50.96/bbl on January 8, a decline of $21.58/bbl from December 1

Two benchmark crude oils, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent, make up about 67% of the weighting in the S&P GSCI energy index. Petroleum-based products (gasoline, heating oil, and gasoil) together comprise another 29% of the S&P GSCI energy index, and because prices for these products generally follow crude oil prices, the index tends to follow the major price movements in the crude oil market.

World's largest oil exporter is forcing prices lower to win back market share but the high-risk strategy will test the house of Saud like never before