Malaysia’s national oil and gas company has reported MYR171.7 billion ($39.4 billion) in revenue for the first six months of 2024, up MYR2.7 billion ($459.5 million) compared to the same period last year despite weaker selling prices especially for liquefied natural gas.
Crude oil prices hit year-to-date lows on Wednesday, with Brent at $72.63 and WTI at $69.19, driven by weak demand in China and other markets.
OPEC+ delayed plans to ease production cuts, but analysts see challenges due to lost market share and declining prices.
Commodity analysts highlight trend-following strategies and potential for a short-covering rally in oil, while the return of Libyan oil adds further downward pressure on prices.
Oil plummeted — erasing its gains for the year — after a prospective deal to restore supplies from Libya turned traders’ attention back to concerns about tepid global demand for crude.
BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies among those funding industry-backed scheme to accelerate efforts to curb emissions from oil and gas projects
A political standoff in Libya risks once more paralyzing the north African country’s lucrative oil sector.
But the frequency of its power tussles and crude disruptions have left long-term oil price support into question.
Oil prices rallied on Monday on the Libyan reports, but had already surrendered much of these gains during the Tuesday session.
Crude oil prices ticked higher earlier today, after posting two daily losses, as the shutdown of oil fields in Libya took precedence over demand worry.
Oil prices rose sharply after the American Petroleum Institute reported a significant drop in US oil inventories.
Lower-than-expected producer price inflation boosted hopes for a Federal Reserve rate cut.
Oil prices had been under pressure before the API report, with the IEA and OPEC warning of slowing demand next year.
Oil prices extended gains on Thursday after the killing of a Hamas leader in Iran raised the threat of a wider Middle East conflict and concern over its impact on oil.
Crude oil prices spiked after Israel assassinated Hamas’s political leader on Iranian soil, leading to threats of retaliation from Tehran.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, combined with record US oil demand, has created a bullish environment for oil prices.
Early on Thursday morning, WTI was trading around $78.50 while Brent had climbed above $81.
Crude oil prices continued to fall on Tuesday, with WTI trading just above $75 and Brent slipping below $80.
Concerns about Chinese demand continue to drag prices lower, with expectations of China’s manufacturing activity shrinking for a third month in a row.
In some bullish news, Venezuela’s election results could lead to tighter US sanctions and lower oil supply.