Oil and Gas Industry

Germany’s Power Prices Rise as Market Tightens

Since early November, the so-called ‘Dunkelflaute’, German for “dark wind lull”, have often resulted in wind farms in Europe’s biggest economy generating only a fraction of their nameplate capacity, leading to day-ahead electricity prices for peak demand hours to high levels not seen since the peak energy crisis in 2022.

National Gasoline Prices Fall Below $3 Per Gallon

Oil is the primary factor that determines gasoline prices in the United States, and commodity experts at Standard Chartered have predicted that U.S. oil production will not surge under Trump. According to the experts, U.S. crude production has increased by 4.7 mb/d since the pandemic-era low of May 2020; however, it’s just 0.4 mb/d higher than the pre-pandemic high of November 2019, working out to an annual production growth rate of just 80 thousand barrels per day (kb/d) over this timeframe.

China’s Oil Imports Jumped in November

The year-to-date rate of oil imports, however, remains a decline on 2023 and chances are that the full-2024 figure will be lower than the 2023 total as well. This will probably add fuel to trader pessimism about future demand even as China doubles down on stimulus to accelerate its economic growth.

Vaca Muerta shale boom could propel Argentina to top 3 of region’s producers

Drilling activity is accelerating in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale region, thanks in large part to policies by the business-friendly government of President Javier Milei. Shale oil now accounts for about 60% of Argentine crude and has put the nation on course to reach production levels unseen in more than 20 years, according to the US Energy Information Administration.