early weakness after the US announcement of additional tariff s on $200bn worth of Chinese imports. The broad-based recovery that followed in global stocks and currencies was driven by a combination of…
ECB on runway to rate liftoff considers what should happen next
European Central Bank officials are starting to discuss priming investors for the euro area’s first interest-rate increase since 2011, a conversation that could see them putting the U.S. experience of three years…
New U.S. LNG projects, enough to double exports, on verge of launch
LONDON (Reuters) – New U.S. liquefied natural gas terminals with enough capacity to double U.S. exports have either begun commissioning their facilities or are waiting for approval from the energy regulator, a…
OPEC, Russia rebuff Trump’s call for immediate boost to oil output
ALGIERS (Reuters) – OPEC’s leader Saudi Arabia and its biggest oil-producer ally outside the group, Russia, ruled out on Sunday any immediate, additional increase in crude output, effectively rebuffing U.S. President Donald…
Sonatrach plans expansion in most areas of energy except for crude
Bloomberg Algiers Africa’s biggest oil and natural gas producer plans to expand in most areas of the energy industry except for crude, shunning US President Donald Trump’s latest Twitter directive for Opec…
Oil prices jump 2% to hit 4-yr high
Reuters New York Oil prices jumped more than 2% to a four-year high in early trading after Saudi Arabia and Russia ruled out any immediate increase in production despite calls by US…
Iraq’s Next War
Rival Shiite Factions Could Be Headed Toward Disaster When Iraq and the international community liberated Mosul last year, the Iraqi government declared victory: the three-year conflict against jihadist terrorists who had seized much of…
Syria’s Idlib Wins Welcome Reprieve with Russia-Turkey Deal
After weeks of escalatory rhetoric, Russia has partnered with Turkey in a deal to avert an all-out assault on Idlib, the last stronghold of Syria’s armed rebellion. International actors seeking to end…
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund: Borrowing money to make money?
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF), the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has taken an unusual approach to fund its investments: taking out an $11 billion bank loan. The PIF is the centerpiece of…
After shelving biggest-ever IPO, Saudi faces a tough bond sale
Aramco needs to raise up to $70bn, but bond investors could prove tough customers Two months after Saudi Arabia pulled a share sale that could have raised $100bn for its sovereign wealth…