A hoard of Venezuelan crude on tankers at sea will provide a cushion for Chinese refiners — the biggest buyers — should the US escalate hostilities against the OPEC producer and disrupt exports.
A hoard of Venezuelan crude on tankers at sea will provide a cushion for Chinese refiners — the biggest buyers — should the US escalate hostilities against the OPEC producer and disrupt exports.
Russian ESPO crude was recently sold to at least one Chinese buyer at what traders say was the steepest discount this year, after demand for the grade tumbled following US sanctions on Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC.
Russian ESPO crude was recently sold to at least one Chinese buyer at what traders say was the steepest discount this year, after demand for the grade tumbled following US sanctions on Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC.
Workers at a Rosneft oil field in Russia. Source: Bloomberg/Bloomberg
The US oil benchmark fell to its lowest level since February 2021, with traders weighing renewed signs of optimism surrounding a deal to end the war in Ukraine and mixed economic data from China.
The US oil benchmark fell to its lowest level since February 2021, with traders weighing renewed signs of optimism surrounding a deal to end the war in Ukraine and mixed economic data from China.
China’s robust stockpiling of crude is expected to continue next year, helping to cushion global markets from a swelling surplus, but masking a broader trend of slowing oil demand growth.
China’s robust stockpiling of crude is expected to continue next year, helping to cushion global markets from a swelling surplus, but masking a broader trend of slowing oil demand growth.
China’s independent oil refiners are boosting their intake of Iranian crude from onshore tanks and ships idling at sea after Beijing issued a fresh round of import quotas late last month.
China’s independent oil refiners are boosting their intake of Iranian crude from onshore tanks and ships idling at sea after Beijing issued a fresh round of import quotas late last month.
A wave of new Chinese petrochemical plants is raising fears of a deluge of exports that will put pressure on other producing nations that are already struggling with oversupply.
A wave of new Chinese petrochemical plants is raising fears of a deluge of exports that will put pressure on other producing nations that are already struggling with oversupply.
Oil crept higher alongside global equities, bouncing off a one-month low as the White House signaled optimism about a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which could bring back Moscow’s barrels into an already saturated market.
Oil crept higher alongside global equities, bouncing off a one-month low as the White House signaled optimism about a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which could bring back Moscow’s barrels into an already saturated market.
The amount of Iranian crude held on tankers at sea has swelled to the highest in two-and-a-half years, reflecting slower demand from top buyer China even as exports from the OPEC member remain elevated.
The amount of Iranian crude held on tankers at sea has swelled to the highest in two-and-a-half years, reflecting slower demand from top buyer China even as exports from the OPEC member remain elevated.