I am not one to baffle with overly technical analysis when it comes to charts. To me, the more obvious the pattern or point is, the more useful it is.…
In a few weeks’ time, the oil in the North Sea could suddenly be under the sovereignty of a new country. Scotland is pushing for a referendum on…
Regulations & ComplianceA new real estate law in Egypt will require companies to pay taxes on oil fields. The law was amended in late August, but criteria are…
The price action by Exxon Mobil (XOM) puts this stock on the radar this week. This market is significant because it is a major component of the S&P 500 Index…
In a recent column, I proposed a ‘super spike’ in oil prices – implying a super opportunity continued to exist in the exploration and production oil companies, particularly because they’ve…
I have been contributing here for about six months and in that time I have covered most aspects of the energy markets, with one glaring exception. Not once have I…
Competition between exporters of liquefied natural gas is heating up. In fact, the competition is getting so fierce, that suppliers are actually beginning to see their advantage erode – buyers…
Geopolitical/Conflict DevelopmentsIraqi Oil UpdateIraqi government forces have reportedly thwarted another attempt by the Islamic State (IS) to take over the Baiji refinery in northern…
Weekly Crude OilOctober crude oil futures continued to consolidate on the weekly chart after…
In 2005, Goldman Sachs oil analyst Arjun Murti wrote of an oil “super spike”, with prices reaching $200 a barrel. Murti was amazingly prophetic with that call, as oil topped…
I am, as regular readers may have gathered, somewhat of a contrarian by nature. I put that down to nearly twenty years in currency dealing rooms around the world, where…
The U.S. is burning coal at a slower rate, due to cheap natural gas and environmental restrictions on air pollution. With utilities unable to justify weighty investments in pollution control…
Regulatory AlertsA new tax law granting tax credits to oil companies appears to have survived a close referendum battle on Wednesday, with partial vote counts in showing that…
The price action late this week in the three major futures energy markets: crude oil, gasoline and natural gas, suggests the summer sell-off may be nearing its end. Keep in…
The world has changed. Even two years ago, with a war going on by proxy between Russia and Ukraine, we'd have seen a ten dollar rally in the price of…
For more than seventy years the oil reserves of Mexico have been the exclusive property of the state run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. That changed at the end…
The U.S. hosted an unprecedented summit of 50 heads of African states in Washington, D.C. in early August. The event was meant to highlight the enormous investment opportunity that the…
Geopolitical, Political & Conflict Updates• High-level industry sources in Ukraine inform us that talk of extending the new gas tax beyond the end of the year is gaining…
Last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly petroleum status report delivered more bad news to the crude oil market, but the EiA’s long-term outlook most likely set the…
A strong earnings report from Transocean (RIG) has everyone understandably wondering: Is it finally time to buy the offshore drillers? I have been exceedingly cautious about offshore and particularly the…