Oil Archive
Gulf
Budget breakeven oil prices in most Gulf Arab producers are creeping upwards, as governments continue to push through investment stimulus programs despite flatter production.
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Egypt & MENA
Oil and gas workers in some Middle Eastern countries have some of the lowest wages compared with energy sector salaries around the world.
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Iraq
Iraq ramped up oil production to a 35-year high last month despite a worsening security situation and political standoffs in the country, but experts said more investment was
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Africa
Gabon's financial problems have been vastly exaggerated. An erroneous news report late last month suggested Gabon's government had suspended salaries of government employees as it did not have
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Central Asia
Azerbaijan would likely emerge as a winner in the Ukraine-Russia crisis, which has left Europeans fearing for the security of their natural gas supplies.
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Egypt & MENA
Two North American oil and gas players have merged their operations in a bid to invest heavily in Egypt and other African states.
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Gulf
The Gulf's petrochemicals sector's revenues came tantalizing close to USD 100 billion, reaching USD 97.3 billion last year, despite strong headwinds, according to IHS CERA, an energy consultancy.
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Africa
The suspension of Nigeria's central bank chief has raised uncertainty for the economy as investors worry about its long-term impact.
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Iraq
Iraq is emerging as one of the riskiest oil and gas jurisdictions to invest in, according to research house Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., a Wall Street investment
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Africa
Tanzania's push to accelerate its natural gas development has hit a speed bump as the process gets mired in legislative processes.
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Oil
An escalation of Russia's conflict with Ukraine would send crude and natural gas prices soaring, but it would also destabilize the global economy.
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Featured Qatar
Qatar's moratorium on natural gas development in its massive North Field is expected to continue for some time, but the country will likely face headwinds when it looks
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Africa
Uganda pushed its oil file forward after signing a memorandum of understanding with China National Oil Offshore Company (CNOOC), and Ugandan units of French oil giant Total E&P;
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Iraq
Hussain Al-Shahristani, Iraqi deputy prime minister for Energy Affairs' recent comments on collaboration with Iran has stirred the hornet's nest and may have made Saudi Arabia a bit
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Egypt & MENA
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are set to join their Gulf peer Qatar in participating in the shale oil and gas revolution unfolding in North America.
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Iraq
The recent spate of violence and an impending clash between prime minister Nour Al Maliki's forces and Sunni rebels in Fallujah and wider Anbar provinces have threatened further
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Oil
Fears of an oil price collapse are overdone as OPEC will use all the levers and controls to ensure it defends the USD 100 per barrel rate, according
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Gulf
Oil and gas exporters such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman are succeeding in reversing the so-called "resource curse", but they still have a long way
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Central Asia
Even as Ukraine looks to move further away from the European Union, its former Soviet Union comrade Azerbaijan took another confident step forward with the final investment decision
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Egypt & MENA
Emerging market slowdown and a crude oil glut may be some of the major risks facing the global economy, according to major Wall Street banks.
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Africa
Fears of the Middle East losing its position as a major natural gas exporter in the next few decades are unfounded, at least according to Exxon Mobil, the
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Africa
Infrastructure projects focused on Kenya's transportation and energy sectors are set to reinvigorate the economy, as the country emerges from an election year and the terrorist attack in
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Egypt & MENA
For all the hype surrounding U.S. shale plays, it is Middle East which will register the highest growth in exploration and production capital spending next year, according to
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Featured UAE
Natural gas importer UAE is working on a number of projects that could boost the country's natural gas production
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Oil
As much as 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil could return to the market if Western sanctions are eased, according to the Centre for Global Energy Studies.
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Egypt & MENA
Middle East's own domestic energy demand, rather than North American shale surge, will transform the region's oil and gas sector, says the International Energy Agency.
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Africa
When Tullow Oil stumbled upon oil on the Kenyan-Ethiopian basin, it put an end to 50 years of drilling disappointment in the country and opened up a new
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Macroeconomic Data
Global sovereign wealth funds now hold more than USD 6 trillion in investments with Middle East funds contributing 35% of the assets, according to latest data from Sovereign
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Oil
Asia Pacific's net oil imports by 2035 are equivalent to the combined production of major OPEC producers such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE, according
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Oil
Commodities remain the world's worst-performing asset class this year, with the benchmark Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index falling 8.95% year-to-date.
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Africa
The Algerian economy is cruising along in low gear, but investors are hoping that presidential elections in April 2014 will speed up economic and social reforms.
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Egypt & MENA
Qatar and Morocco will be the fastest growing Middle East economies this year, but emerging market economies are facing the dual challenge of slow growth and tightening global
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Africa
Companies are buying stakes in the country's natural gas sector after the government relaxed its exploration policy.
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Oil
Iran's beleaguered economy may catch a break if the thawing of Tehran's relationship with Washington results in an easing of sanctions.
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Central Asia
The world's most expensive oil field is set to achieve commercial production in October, but its sponsors may not see a return from their investments any time soon.
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Featured Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's petrochemicals companies saw their half-yearly earnings collectively decline 3.5% this year, but analysts are expecting an improvement in profits in the second half.
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North Africa
Chinese oil and gas giant Sinopec's recent USD 3.1 billion bet on Egyptian natural gas highlights the country's huge energy prospects, despite the major political challenges facing the
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Featured Saudi Arabia
As the global oil and gas industry turns on its head, Saudi Aramco - the world's largest oil-producing company -- is not sitting still, but tapping into its
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Central Asia
European countries are losing out to China in their quest to source natural gas from the Central Asian states.
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Iraq
The Iraqi oil sector has been one of the great success stories of the past five years, rising by a million barrels from 2008 to 2012 to cross
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Egypt & MENA
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is set to lose its dominant position as the world's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to the
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North Africa
It's early days yet, but several international companies are sniffing around Morocco's offshore basins in the hunt for oil and gas.
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Oil
Forecasts for rapid crude oil production from places as diverse as Iraq, Canada, Kazakhstan, the US and Brazil mean we should be swimming in oil at the moment
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Central Asia
Turkmenistan has emerged as China's largest supplier of natural gas, which makes the reclusive nation one of the Asian giant's strategic energy allies.
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Oil
Recent claims by the Yemeni government that they have thwarted attempts to paralyze its energy installations, has brought this nation back into the global limelight.
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Africa
Nigeria's oil thieves are pilfering the profits of some of the world's largest oil companies.
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Central Asia
After edging out Nabucco West pipeline to win the right to transport Azerbaijan natural gas to Europe, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is now considering multiple options to expand
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Featured Saudi Arabia
Under pressure from a resurgent American petrochemicals industry and natural gas shortages at home, major Saudi petrochemicals companies are fighting back with massive expansion plans of their own.
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Central Asia
Kazakhstan's Kashagan giant offshore field may have opened on July 2, but there are still a few doubts about the field's production timelines.
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Oil
The latest report from the US Energy Department's statistical arm validates what OPEC members have been saying all along: the North American shale gale will blow away, and
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Featured Saudi Arabia
China's economy is cooling off and that's bad news for Saudi Arabia.
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Africa
Africa has emerged as the world's second hottest region for upstream oil and gas deals, clocking merger and acquisitions deals of more than USD 10 billion in the
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Africa
Chad's economy beat analyst projections to grow 7.2% last year and is set to grow a further 7.4% this year, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).
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Central Asia
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) beat Nabucco West to supply natural gas from Azerbaijan to the central European markets, and what is viewed as a game changer for
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Featured UAE
Oil breakeven prices in Abu Dhabi are set to fall below USD 100 per barrel, as debt obligations and fiscal pressures on the government start to ease, according
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Gulf
Oman's prospects for additional revenue are "dim", according to Moody's Ratings Agency.
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Oil
A new report on global oil investments puts a cork in the debate about North American shale production putting OPEC out of business.
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Oil
Last month, the International Energy Agency's (IEA) executive director Maria van der Hoeven, had some unsolicited advice for OPEC: When they meet next, think long-term strategy.
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Central Asia
A new tri-nation railway project aims to spark regional trade and cooperation in Central Asia.
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Central Asia
When North Korea, Iran and Kazakhstan start praising your human rights records, it may be time to change tactics.
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Africa
International companies have been drawn to Mozambique lately due to the country's recently discovered natural gas reserves.
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Gulf
In a major move, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has slashed OPEC production growth forecast, citing a number of factors ranging from instability in the region and regulatory
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Featured Saudi Arabia
With the Saudi oil sector expected to generate less revenues this year, the non-oil sector will need to step up and carry the burden of generating growth for
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Featured Saudi Arabia
An oil price collapse to USD 90 per barrel could see a 0.4% drop in Saudi GDP, according to estimates by HSBC.
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Central Asia
Expo 2017's theme is 'Energy for the Future' which is apt given Kazakhstan's hydrocarbon riches
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Africa
Mauritania, lodged between Morocco and Guinea on the African bulge in the West, is just the latest African country being eyed by energy companies.
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Featured UAE
The greatest growth in container trade will take place between the Far East and the Middle East for the next two decades.
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Iraq
Iraq continues to trundle along on the back of solid macroeconomics, but great political uncertainty remains.
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Featured Saudi Arabia
Despite cuts in its oil output, and the generally nervous economic sentiment globally, the Saudi economy continues to race ahead.
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Kuwait
While OPEC may not take action at its meeting on December 12, most analysts expect the group to cut production in the new year or face depressed crude
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Oil
The Middle East is awash with billions of dollars worth of undiscovered oil and gas buried deep in the region, according to the United States Geological Survey. But
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Featured Saudi Arabia
OPEC finally acknowledged the very clear and present danger of North American shale oil and gas production.
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Oil
Saudi Aramco 's decision to proceed with the 400,000 barrels per day Jazan Refinery is part of a trend of turning the Middle East into a beehive of
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Iraq
Although many new pockets of oil and gas reserves are bubbling all over the world, international oil companies consider Iraqi natural resources as one of the most prized
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Featured UAE
Breakeven oil prices for Saudi Arabia and the UAE decline for the first time in years, according to Deutsche Bank, which is great news for the GCC, especially
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Oil
While the Middle East continues to rule the fossil fuel markets, there are some great emerging trends which highlight the rapid changes in the global energy industry....
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Oil
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could earn an estimated USD1,171 billion of net oil export revenues in 2012 and USD1,133-billion in 2013, according
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Oil
While the overwhelming general consensus is that oil prices could head north of USD140 per barrel before the end of the summer, a small group of analysts are
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Macroeconomic Data
The United States' hydrocarbon's production will eclipse Saudi Arabia and Russia as early as 2017, says Citibank. In fact the energy surplus points to North America effectively becoming
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Iraq
Why did Exxon strike a deal with Kurdistan at the cost of upsetting Baghdad? Because Kurdistan offered up one of the greatest oil basins in the world, roughly
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Featured Saudi Arabia
Chatham House says OPEC may be heading for a Shia-Sunni split, but it appears to have discounted the group's enduring powers and its resilience despite wars and severe
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Oil
As the world faces its biggest oil crisis since the 1970s, politicians are blaming every one - President Obama, Iran, QE and Saudi King - for high oil
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Featured Qatar
It's a crisis that won't go away. While the region is no stranger to Israelis and Iranians trading insults and threats, Tel Aviv's latest hue and cry over
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Oil
It's only the second week of the year and oil analysts are already in a frenzy, making bold predictions for crude prices - from alpha bearish to mega
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Featured Qatar
Opec countries will rake in $900-billion this year. But these outstanding figures mask great turmoil facing group members in the next few
years.
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Bahrain
In the first part of the 2012 regional economic prospects, a look at oil-rich countries' efforts to manage their citizens' expectations, economic slowdown and regional and domestic political
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Oil
Mideast oil and gas developers can rest easy. ExxonMobil's energy outlook through to 2040, predicts there is a huge role for oil and gas energy sources in the
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Oil
Oil prices will rise higher as global economy prospects improve over time. However, dramatic shifts and spikes could upset the fragile recovery and have unintended consequences which could
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Oil
An Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities could choke off the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices spiralling out of control in a worst-case scenario, according to a
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Featured Saudi Arabia
Read the ten major forecasts from Opec's latest World Oil Outlook, ranging from the challenges and prospects for oil developers to the intense competition they will face over
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Oil
The Arab Petroleum Investment Corporation (Apicorp) expects MENA energy capital investment to reach $525-billion over the next five years
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Gold
Oil and gold are poised to benefit from the dithering policies of Western leaders and the possible launch of the Fed's Operation Twist. Other commodities are set see
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Oil
TweetEven as hopes arise of a quick resumption of Libyan oil, a whole host of new supply-side worries will ensure that crude production remains tight. The resumption of
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Oil
While the U.S. oil sanctions on Syria are welcome, the world can inflict a much bigger blow to Bashar Al-Assad's regime if its biggest customer -- the European
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Oil
With a string of impressive economic policies, Iran has ensured that it remains a major energy supplier, despite various restrictions imposed by the western international community
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Egypt
As the global economy lurches from one crisis to the next, we look at the prospects for the regional economies in troubling global conditions which could slash domestic
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Egypt
The Fraser Institute's Global Petroleum Survey is the latest where super-rich Qatar beats its regional competitors' as it pips them to the post as the Middle East's most
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Iraq
TweetOpec’s annual bulletin reveals the changing dynamics of the energy industry and the key challenges facing both the producers and the consumers. Click through the charts to find
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Featured Saudi Arabia
Forget Arab Spring. If Saudi Arabia's spending patterns and economic policies don't change, it could be staring at a breakeven oil price of an astonishing $320 a barrel
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Islamic Finance
Tweet The price of oil is not the only ‘greaser’ for expansion of Islamic finance. Lately, a number of countries seem to be pre-empting social-movement-cum-change of regime as
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