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Tue Feb 7, 2012 4:01am EST

* Oil spill bill hits $43 bln

* Q4 underlying profits up 14 pct year on year

* Dividend increased to 8 cents a share from 7 cents

By Tom Bergin

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - BP said it was preparing "vigorously" for lawsuits related to its Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which are due to start later this month, as it unveiled a rise in fourth-quarter earnings boosted by higher oil prices and one-off gains.

Chief Executive Bob Dudley said on Tuesday BP was ready to settle on "fair and reasonable terms" but added he was also ready to fight.

The comments came as the company unveiled fourth-quarter results which showed its estimate for the total cost of the spill rose by $1.8 billion in 2011 to $43 billion. Some analysts think the final figure could be much higher.

The increased estimate reflected higher costs of shoreline clean up, which BP said was now largely complete, and a new $500 million charge related to legal costs beyond 2012.

BP had already set aside over $1 billion to pay its lawyers, suggesting the disaster will end up a major boon for attorneys.

The London-based oil giant said it faced around 600 civil lawsuits from people in states as far away as South Carolina and Kentucky, as well as litigation from the government and Gulf Coast states.

Europe's second-largest oil group by market capitalisation said contributions from its partners in the blown-out Macondo well, Anadarko Petroleum and Japan's Mitsui, would reduce the final bill it faced.

The over $5 billion BP has received has contributed to the $20 billion fund created to compensate those impacted by the United States' worst-ever offshore oil spill, and will allow BP to end its own payments into the fund in 2012, a year earlier than expected.

Progress in meeting the costs of the spill allowed BP to announce an increase in its dividend, which had been cut at the height of the spill in 2010.

BP lifted the quarterly payout to 8 cents a share from 7 cents, backed by strong cashflows due to higher oil price.

BP said its replacement cost (RC) net profit rose 65 percent compared to the same period last year, to $7.61 billion in the quarter, boosted by a $4 billion contribution from Anadarko.

Stripping out one-offs, the result rose 14 percent to $4.99 billion, in line with an I/B/E/S consensus forecast of $4.89 billion. Rival Royal Dutch Shell Plc reported an 18 percent rise in underlying profits in the quarter while industry leader Exxon Mobil only managed a 2 percent rise.

BP's muted increase was despite a lower than expected tax rate, and a 26 percent rise in the Brent crude price in the quarter compared to the same period of 2010.

BP shares traded up 0.4 percent at 492 pence at 0840 GMT, outstripping a 0.1 percent rise in the STOXX Europe 600 Oil and Gas index.

http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/you-may-strike-it-rich-playing-oil-explorer-roulette-6774240.html

UPDATE 4-Oil at $118, supply worry trumps Europe gloom

LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Oil rose to $118 a barrel on Wednesday as real and threatened supply disruptions outweighed concern about the health of the global economy and Greece's struggle to avoid bankruptcy.

An explosion hit a pipeline in Syria on Wednesday, adding to earlier disruptions such as a strike in Yemen that has halted output at its largest oilfield and the seizure by Sudan of more of South Sudan's oil in a dispute over payment issues.

Brent crude was up 80 cents at $118.15 a barrel at 0908 GMT, having traded as high as $118.30 earlier in the session. U.S. crude rose 86 cents to $101.60.

"The oil market continues to be caught between a deterioration in the global economy and supply issues, including actual supply disruptions in Sudan," said Jeremy Friesen, a commodity strategist at Societe Generale.

"I don't think it's realistic to expect that risks in the Middle East will disappear."

Oil is also drawing support from the prospect of disruption to Iranian crude supplies as a result of worsening tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Iran is the second-largest producer in the Middle East and the European Union has banned Iranian crude exports from July 1, prompting buyers of its crude to look for alternative supplies.



Supply risks far outweigh the euro zone's debt problems and will probably keep Brent above $110, Friesen said.

Euro zone finance ministers have dropped plans for a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday on Greece's new international bailout, saying party leaders in Athens failed to provide the required commitment to reform.

Time is running out for Greece as it faces a chaotic default if it cannot meet 14.5 billion euros in debt repayments due on March 20 and its brinkmanship has forced some EU leaders to suggest Athens should leave the euro zone currency union.

In a sign that the euro zone may succumb to a mild recession, figures on Wednesday showed Germany's economy contracted slightly in the last three months of the year while France eked out an anaemic level of growth.

Even so, the latest indications from the United States, suggest a firm foundation for an economic recovery. Later on Wednesday, the latest weekly U.S. oil supply report will be in focus.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's inventory report is scheduled for release at 1530 GMT. Analysts expect crude oil stocks to rise by 1.5 million barrels.

In a precursor to the EIA report, oil industry group the American Petroleum Institute said on Tuesday crude stocks rose a more-than-expected 2.9 million barrels.

Why Moody's matters more than oil price

Trumpets were sounded, church bells rang but there was no smug air to the governor's words after news that inflation fell to its lowest level for more than a year.
"Look at us," you would have thought Mervyn King said, "we're beginning to get inflation under control and close to the 2% target."

Close, but at 3.6% it's still a good way off being there. In fact, George Osborne still made the Bank of England governor adhere to the old of rule of "if inflation's over 2% I want a personal letter telling me what the devil's going on". In essence, the governor has to write the chancellor's excuse note, one he can present to his friends or colleagues in government to explain why he was more off target than the meteorologists ahead of last weekend's match against Ireland.

It's getting easier for him because last month was the first true like-for-like comparison in Vat, given it was raised to 20% in January 2011. But George, ever the cautious and wise old fox, isn't getting carried away.

"The unwelcome contribution of sluggish growth and high inflation over the past two years is a reflection of the need for the economy to rebalance following the financial crisis and associated deep recession, together with rises in the costs of energy and imports," he wrote, probably by candle light and using a pot of ink and a quill.

"Although inflation is now falling broadly as expected, the process of rebalancing still has a long way to go. Growth remains weak and unemployment high."

More learned experts than this reporter point out that inflation is the Bank of England's focus and it'll be marked on how it has managed prices.

Knowing that any action it takes will take a while to effect, it has to be looking ahead and trying to predict what will happen two years down the line.

That's exceedingly difficult, especially when you have the likes of oil prices jumping up and down like a fiddler's elbow.

North Sea crude is through the £75 a barrel level, a high not posted since April 2011.

And with George aiming to keep international lenders happy following Moody's raised eyebrow yesterday morning, you can bet your bottom dollar, ironically, that he'll be less likely to drop any of the three 1p rises in petrol duty which are planned.

Motorists should be just as concerned about the AAA as they are with the AA.

Oil price hits eight-month high

Brent crude at $121.15 a barrel following news of Iran's oil export ban to UK and French companies

Brent crude hit its highest point in eight months on Monday as Iran halted exports to British and French companies ahead of a European Union embargo.

Oil prices edged above $121 a barrel. Traders also said that policy developments in China and hopes that Greece's second financial package will be agreed on Monday were helping to push up prices.

Over the past month fears of supply disruption in Iran and upbeat economic data from the world's largest oil user, the United States, have helped raise oil prices including Brent, which is sourced from the North Sea. The combination of factors driving demand took the price to $121.15 a barrel during Monday morning trading, a level not seen since mid-June last year.

Opec's second largest producer, Iran, stopped oil sales to British and French companies on Sunday, retaliating against tightening EU sanctions imposed over its disputed nuclear programme. European oil buyers had already made big cuts in purchases from Iran in recent months ahead of sanctions.

While the move is unlikely to have a large effect on UK oil refiners – they source less than 1% of their oil from Iran – it remains emotive in oil markets. "This is supply related so it had a psychological impact," Ken Hasegawa, a Tokyo-based commodity sales manager at Newedge Japan, told Reuters.

The EU has already slapped sanctions on Iran and has vowed to stop buying all Iranian oil by July. Iran was supplying more than 700,000 barrels a day to the EU last year but this had already been cut back by 300,000 before Sunday's move, according to industry website liveoilprices.co.uk. BP is among a number of major companies that have already stopped importing oil from Iran, triggering speculation that Sunday's announcement was merely political posturing.

Meanwhile, analysts at investment bank JP Morgan Chase have raised their 2012 price forecast for Brent crude by $6 to $118 a barrel because of supply risks and rising economic growth. It also hiked its forecast for 2013 to $125 a barrel, up from $121, arguing that geopolitical issues are creating increased demand for crude.

Investors' appetite for riskier assets after China's central bank boosted lending capacity by more than $50bn (£32bn), as well as a softer dollar against the euro on expectations Greece would secure a debt bailout this week, are also supporting oil prices.

Buoyant prices have also pushed shares in BP to their highest level for almost a year.

Asia Stocks Fall as Oil Seen Crimping Optimism After Greece Deal

Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks fell, with the regional benchmark index retreating from a six-month high, as higher oil prices threatened to curb spending and accelerate inflation, tempering optimism after Euro-area finance ministers agreed to a bailout for Greece.

Korean Air Lines Co. fell 6.4 percent after being cut to “sell” by Deutsche Bank AG amid weak cargo markets and rising fuel costs. Mazda Motor Corp., Japan's least profitable major automaker, slumped 9.9 percent on a report it plans to raise capital. National Australia Bank Ltd., the nation's No. 4 lender by market value, rose 1 percent after the Reserve Bank of Australia said it kept interest rates unchanged as European risks abated and can ease monetary policy if conditions worsen.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index retreated 0.3 percent to 127.67 as of 5:06 p.m. in Tokyo, with five stocks falling for every four that rose. The gauge yesterday closed at its highest level since Aug. 4, and moved within 1 percent of completing a 20 percent advance from its October low and entering a so-called bull market.

The Euro-area agreement “is positive news for the market, as it eases one of its concerns,” said Ayako Sera, a market strategist in Tokyo at Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co., which manages the equivalent of $298 billion. “But the market has been rising on the hopes of the agreement, so when the fact comes out the focus will turn to whether Greece will be able to actually implement its deficit cut promises. The market will be dominated by uncertainties going forward.”

Asia Earnings Slide

Of 473 companies in the Asia-Pacific gauge that have reported net income since Jan. 9, more than half have fallen short of analysts' estimates and profit has fallen 59 percent on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That compares with the U.S., where net income has grown an average of 5.1 percent for Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies that have reported, the data show.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.2 percent. South Korea's Kospi Index was little changed after rising as much as 0.3 percent. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index increased 0.8 percent, reversing an earlier decline as the Reserve Bank of Australia released minutes of a Feb. 7 meeting that said risks of an “extremely bad outcome” from Europe have “diminished somewhat.”

U.K.’s Hague Says Halt in Iran Oil Sales Will Have ‘No Impact’
February 21, 2012, 3:31 AM EST

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Iran’s decision to halt sales of crude oil to French and British buyers to pre-empt a European Union ban on imports will have “no impact on Britain’s energy security or supplies,” said U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Iran “will give its crude oil to new customers instead of French and U.K. companies,” the Shana oil ministry news website reported, citing Alireza Nikzad Rahbar, a ministry spokesman. The announcement came as OPEC’s second-biggest producer negotiates contracts to supply China.

The action may “prompt further price gains for crude,” John Caiazzo, president of Acuvest Commodity Brokers Inc. in Temecula, California, wrote in a note to clients today.

France got 4 percent of its oil imports from Iran in the first half of 2011 and the U.K. 1 percent, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Iran will raise crude volumes sent to China “soon,” the state Mehr news agency said Feb. 16.

The producer is suspending exports as tension rises in the Gulf over its nuclear program, sending oil prices to the highest level in nine months. The EU and U.S. have imposed additional sanctions against the country, restricting trade and financial transactions. Iran, the largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia, is also under four rounds of United Nations sanctions.

“The Iranian government can act to bring sanctions to an end,” Hague said in comments today to lawmakers in the House of Commons in London. “Our ultimate goal is a return to negotiations that addresses all the issues of concern about Iran’s nuclear program and the successful conclusion of those negotiations.”

Threatened Cuts

The country threatened to halt shipments to Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and the Netherlands when it summoned their ambassadors to the Foreign Ministry on Feb. 15 to protest the EU’s punitive measures, state media reported. Iran would end sales of crude to the six countries unless they agreed to long- term contracts and payment guarantees, state-run Press TV reported that day, without citing anyone.

EU nations bought a combined 18 percent of Iran’s exports of crude and condensates, or 452,000 barrels a day, in the first half of 2011, according to the EIA’s most recent data. France purchased 49,000 barrels a day and the U.K. 11,000 barrels.

The EU said today its member countries are cutting oil purchases from Iran and have sufficient reserves to deal with disruptions. Some of the 27 nations, such as the U.K., Austria, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands, have already stopped buying and others including Italy, Spain and Greece are reducing imports, Marlene Holzner, an energy spokeswoman for the European Commission, said in an e-mailed reply to questions.

Oil Price

Oil for March delivery rose as much as $2.12 to $105.36 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest intraday price since May 5. It increased 4.6 percent last week, taking its gain this year to 6.6 percent.

Total SA, France’s largest oil company, stopped buying oil from Iran, Chief Executive Officer Christophe De Margerie told Bloomberg Television on Jan. 27 in Davos. Nobody answered calls by Bloomberg News to the French foreign ministry yesterday.

An official for Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the biggest European energy company, declined to comment to Bloomberg. BP Plc doesn’t buy Iranian crude, David Nicholas, a London-based spokesman, said by telephone.

EU emergency stocks are 136 million metric tons, equivalent to 120 days of consumption, or 4.5 years of the region’s imports from Iran, Holzner said, adding that no member state has asked for a release of reserves. EU rules require countries to hold emergency fuel stocks of at least 90 days of the average daily domestic consumption in the previous calendar year.

China Deal

Iran produced 3.545 million barrels of crude a day in January, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Iranian exports in 2010 averaged 2.154 million barrels a day, according to the EIA.

China and Iran have agreed on pricing and sales methods for a supply contract, Mehr said, citing an unidentified official at the National Iranian Oil Co. An NIOC official at the company’s Singapore crude-marketing office, who asked not to be identified in line with company policy, declined to comment on the report.

Iran held talks last month with China International United Petroleum & Chemical Corp., the nation’s biggest oil trader, over the Chinese company’s 2012 supply contract, two people with knowledge of discussions said Jan. 10. The accords between the buyer, known as Unipec, and National Iranian Oil were scheduled to be agreed on last year, according to the people, who declined to be identified because the information is confidential.

China buys 22 percent of Iran’s exports, according to the EIA. It has bought an additional 200,000 barrels a day of oil from Iran in recent months, according to the IEA. The country, the second-biggest crude consumer, may continue to increase imports from the country, Didier Houssin, director of energy markets and security, said today at a conference in London.

--With assistance from Ayesha Daya in Dubai, Andrew Roberts in Paris, Alexander Kwiatkowski in Singapore, Ewa Krukowska in Brussels, Grant Smith and Thomas Penny in London and Seth Stern in Washington. Editors: John Walcott, Terry Atlas

Oil falls below $107 amid weak US gasoline demand

By ALEX KENNEDY, Associated Press – 22 minutes ago

SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices fell to below $107 a barrel Thursday in Asia after U.S. crude supplies grew more than expected amid weak gasoline demand.

Benchmark oil for April delivery was down 39 cents to $106.68 at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 52 cents to $107.07 per barrel in New York on Wednesday.

Brent crude rose 2 cents to $122.68 per barrel in London.

The Energy Department said Wednesday that inventories of crude oil rose by 4.2 million barrels last week. Analysts were expecting an increase of just 1 million barrels. Demand for gasoline over the four weeks ended Feb. 24 was 6.7 percent lower than a year earlier, the department said.

Some analysts expect higher fuel costs will eventually undermine demand and push crude prices lower. U.S. retail gasoline prices rose to an average of $3.73 per gallon, 30 cents higher than a month ago.

Other economic indicators were more encouraging. The U.S. economy grew 3 percent in the fourth quarter, slightly more than the initial estimate of 2.8 percent. In another report, the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago said manufacturing in the Midwest region rose to a 10-month high in February.

The latest figures reinforce largely positive economic data from the U.S. during the last few months. Better than expected U.S. economic growth and moves by central banks to boost global money supply have helped push crude up to near $110 earlier this week from $75 in October.

Concern that tension over Iran's nuclear program could lead to an armed conflict and crude supply disruptions has also helped keep prices near nine-month highs. The U.S. and Europe are imposing sanctions on Iran while the Middle Eastern country has threatened to cut supplies to some countries and tensionshalt oil tankers passing through the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz.

"Rising in the Middle East could easily add another $20 to $40 to oil prices," Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a report. "A geopolitically prompted supply side shock is ultimately what most investors are concerned about."

In other energy trading, heating oil rose 0.2 cent to $3.21 per gallon and gasoline futures were steady at $3.26 per gallon. Natural gas fell 2.6 cents at $2.59 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Coalition to support UK oil and gas sector, says Business Secretary Vince Cable

Vince Cable said the Government is preparing to offer targeted support for Britain's oil and gas sector as part of a new and "proper industrial policy".
In a move that represents a shift from last year's controversial tax raid on North Sea oil, the Business Secretary said the Government wanted to help the sector "re-energise" its supply chains, which include thousands of small businesses.


In a speech in London, Mr Cable said targeted Government support was needed to create a "different kind of economy" based on manufacturing and trade. Britain could not "just hope it happens naturally", he said. He and Charles Hendry, the Energy Minister, will chair meetings to "see how together we can support this important industry".


He insisted the plans were different to the "cack-handed interventionalism of the 1960s and 1970s" and denied that the Government was reverting to "picking winners" rather than trying to create a benign business environment.


But he argued: "There is a case for being more explicit about the choices we are making and linking them to a clearly articulated economic strategy."


With a nod to the previous Labour government, Mr Cable said Britain's car manufacturing industry had benefited from the "explicit choices" of government support. Other industries to be targeted include aerospace, media, film and fashion.

Commodities: Oil taps into 9% rise in February

Crude oil prices fell on Wednesday after a weekly US government report showed a larger than expected glut in oil supplies, an indication of weak demand.

The US Energy Information Administration said oil inventories increased 4.2m barrels in the last week, compared to forecasts of an 800,000 barrel-increase.

Gasoline supplies fell 1.6m barrels, the report said while inventories of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel, dropped 2.1m barrels. Analysts had predicted gasoline stocks to rise 100,000 barrels and distillate stocks to decline 600,000 barrels.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery climbed 52 cents to settle at $107.07 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after a last minute buyers moved in.

Crude finished the month up nearly 9% after a strong rally on concern about tensions between Iran and the West.

Commodities: Oil jumps 1.4%, gold snaps losing streak

Crude oil futures bounced 1.4% on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said it would consider easing measures and as progress was made on the Greek debt swap.

Crude for April delivery recovered from a weak start to the session to gain $1.46, settling at $106.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

On the ICE futures exchange Brent crude rose $1.85 at $124.17 a barrel.

Oil prices tracked a broad market rally on Wednesday after a report from the Wall Street Journal suggested that the Fed is considering a new kind of bond-buying programme.

The report is in contrast to comments last week from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, which poured cold water on hopes of another bond-buying programme.

Saudi Assurances on Ample Oil SupplyU.S. Said to Have Received

By Indira Lakshmanan and Moming Zhou - Mar 14, 2012 12:00 AM GMT

The U.S. has received assurances from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait that they would raise oil production to help offset the effect of economic sanctions on Iranian exports, according to participants in discussions between the U.S. and oil-producing countries.

While there have been no formal requests, negotiations or agreements for increased output, the U.S. officials said they are confident that the Saudis and the UAE will boost production enough to prevent a dramatic increase in oil prices.
The three Arab countries had excess capacity of 2.47 million barrels of oil a day, with most of that coming from Saudi Arabia, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency’s Feb. 10 market report. While that’s not enough to compensate for the loss of all of Iran’s 3.5 million barrels, it would help limit the increase in crude and gasoline prices that the sanctions cause when they start to take full effect in July.

“That’s a very pragmatic approach for the Saudis because they don’t want to see an oil shock and $150 crude,” Kyle Cooper, director of research at IAF Advisors, a Houston-based energy consulting firm, said by phone yesterday. “For some people in the market, it will be treated with a certain degree of doubt because Saudi Arabia probably cannot completely make up what Iran is producing.”

Brent crude, the benchmark for more than half of the world’s oil, has risen 18 percent this year on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange as the U.S. and Europe imposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf country. The oil is the third- biggest gainer among the 24 commodities on the Standard & Poor’s GSCI index. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, has advanced 8 percent on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Tullow Oil celebrates record year, profits increase five-fold
Wed 14 Mar 2012

TLW - Tullow Oil


LONDON (SHARECAST) - Pre-tax profit at Africa-focused oil and gas giant Tullow Oil broke through the one billion dollar barrier in 2011, helped by a ramp-up in production and significantly higher commodity prices.

"2011 was a very good year for Tullow. Industry leading exploration success continued with the opening of a major new basin offshore French Guiana as well as further discoveries in Africa," the firm said.

Pre-tax profit for the 12 months ended December 31st surged by 499% from $179m to $1,073m on sales that jumped 111% from $1,090m to a record $2,304m.

Working interest production increased by 35% during the year, from 58,100 barrels of oil equivalents per day (bopped) to 78,200, while the realised oil price was 38% higher at $108 per barrel, from $78 per barrel in 2010.

Tullow said it was "another year of industry leading exploration and appraisal (E&A) performance", boasting a 74% success ratio.

The strong results prompted the group to double its full-year dividend from 6p to 12p per share.

Operating cash flow (before working capital) also surged, up 132% from $789m to $1,832.

Total have made an offer of 10p per share for Wessex Resources.
Evening news yesterday.

Chancellor George Osborne announces offshore oil sector measures

Measures to boost investment in the North Sea oil industry have been announced by Chancellor George Osborne.

His 2012 Budget includes new tax allowances, including a £3bn new-field allowance for large and deep fields to open up west of Shetland.

Mr Osborne also said the UK government planned to enter into contractual agreements on tax relief for North Sea decommissioning costs.

Tax experts said the steps could encourage "significant investment".

Mr Osborne told the House of Commons that he wanted to "ensure we extract the greatest possible amount of oil and gas from our reserves in the North Sea".

He announced: "We are today introducing a major package of tax changes to achieve this.

"We will end the uncertainty over decommissioning tax relief that has hung over the industry for years by entering into a contractual approach.

"We are also introducing new allowances including a £3bn new field allowance for large and deep fields to open up West of Shetland, the last area of the basin left to be developed. A huge boost for investment in the North Sea."

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
At a time when growth is very low in the economy, and significant stimulus is required, the Chancellor has allocated next to no new resources and taken no major initiatives to support this effort”
End Quote
John Swinney

Scottish Finance Secretary

Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney said the test of the chancellor's budget was whether it would "deliver growth and fairness to Scotland".

He told BBC Scotland he believed it would not pass that test.

Mr Swinney said that 20% of the lowest income households in the country were carrying more of a financial burden than the highest earners.

He added: "At a time when growth is very low in the economy, and significant stimulus is required, the Chancellor has allocated next to no new resources and taken no major initiatives to support this effort.

"At the Prime Minister's request we gave the UK Government a list of shovel ready projects in Scotland worth 300 million pounds which could start in the next financial year. There was no green light today and efforts to build economic recovery have not been given the boost we called for."

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont also viewed the Budget to be unfair.

She said: "Gone is the talk of 'we are all in this together'. This is a Budget riddled with unfairness which reflects the failings of George Osborne's policies. He is putting millionaires ahead of the millions and his plan isn't working.

Oil Trades Near 2-Week High on IMF Forecast, Spanish Sale

Oil traded near the highest close in two weeks after the International Monetary Fund boosted its growth outlook and a Spanish debt sale raised more than planned, easing concern an economic slowdown will curb crude demand.

Futures were little changed in New York after gaining for a second day yesterday. The IMF increased its 2012 global growth forecast to 3.5 percent from 3.3 percent and said oil will advance 10 percent this year on rising demand and possible supply disruptions. Spain sold 3.2 billion euros ($4.2 billion) of bills, compared with a maximum target of 3 billion. U.S. crude stockpiles climbed a fourth week, data from the industry- funded American Petroleum Institute showed.

“The IMF forecast and Spain auction and other indicators from Europe have all been positive factors,” said Ken Hasegawa, a commodity derivatives sales manager at Newedge in Tokyo, who forecasts West Texas Intermediate crude will trade near $105. “The upside is limited from here. It could be time for profit taking after the sharp gains of the last two days.”

Crude for May delivery was at $104.42 a barrel, up 22 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 1:52 p.m. Singapore time. The contract yesterday gained 1.2 percent to $104.20, the highest close since April 2. Prices are 5.7 percent higher this year.

Brent futures for June settlement were at $118.76 a barrel, down 2 cents, on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark contract’s front month premium to WTI was at $13.93, from $14.14 yesterday, the lowest level since Feb. 1.

Technical Resistance

Oil in New York has technical resistance along its middle Bollinger Band on the daily chart, around $104.92 a barrel today, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Futures halted yesterday’s advance near that indicator. Sell orders tend to be clustered close to chart-resistance levels.

The IMF’s oil-price forecast compares with a January projection for a 4.9 percent decline and assumes a level of $114.71 a barrel, based on the average of Brent, Dubai and WTI crude, the Washington-based agency said in a report. Non-fuel commodity prices will drop 10 percent this year, it said.

Crude reached the highest level since May last month amid speculation that Western sanctions aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear program will disrupt Middle East shipments. The U.S. and its allies say Iran is seeking the capability to make an atomic bomb. Iran says it’s conducting research for civilian energy and medical purposes.

U.S. Inventories

U.S. crude stockpiles increased 3.4 million barrels last week, the API said. An Energy Department report today may show they expanded 1.8 million barrels, according to the median of 10 analyst estimates in a Bloomberg News survey.

Gasoline inventories dropped 2.6 million barrels, the API said. They are forecast to slip 1.1 million barrels, according to the Bloomberg survey. Distillate supplies, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, fell 2.4 million barrels compared with a projected 125,000 barrel decline.

The API collects stockpile information on a voluntary basis from operators of refineries, bulk terminals and pipelines. The government requires that reports be filed with the Energy Department for its weekly survey.

U.S. gasoline demand declined 1.3 percent last week from the prior seven days and slipped below year-earlier levels for the 33rd consecutive week, MasterCard Inc. (MA)’s SpendingPulse report showed yesterday. Drivers bought 8.69 million barrels a day of the fuel in the seven days ended April 13, down from 8.8 million the prior week, it showed.

Market Regulation

Gasoline slid to a six-week low yesterday. Futures for May delivery fell 3.3 cents, or 1 percent, to $3.234 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The motor fuel has lost 5.3 percent since reaching a 2012 high of $3.4166 on March 26.

President Barack Obama yesterday urged Congress to bolster federal supervision of oil markets, including bigger penalties for market manipulation and greater power for regulators to increase the amount of money traders must put up to back their energy bets.

Crude prices also rose yesterday after German investor confidence unexpectedly advanced to a two-year high in April, suggesting Europe’s largest economy can weather the debt crisis in the euro region’s periphery.

Argentina's oil takeover riles investors

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Argentina-s-oil-takeover-riles-investors-3488599.php

Friday, April 20, 2012
Oil prices rise on European data

Oil prices in London and New York were on the rise today as positive European data lifted demand for riskier assets.

The UK’s Office for national Statistics reported a 1.8 percent increase in sales volumes for March compared with the 0.8 percent decline posted in February, while in Germany, the Ifo institute’s business confidence report topped expectations.

The German business climate index unexpectedly rose to 109.9 this month from 109.8 in March, while expectations were for a decline to 109.5.

This was also the sixth monthly increase in a row.

US stocks received more support from a positive start in US stock markets on the back of a better than expected earnings report from industrial giant General Electric (NYSE:GE).

The strong European data helped crude recover from yesterday’s falls on the back of weak US employment and home sales reports.

The Department of Labor said yesterday that the number of initial claims for jobless benefits decreased by only 2,000 last week, while also revising the previous week’s figure up by 8,000 to 388,000.

A separate report revealed that existing home sales dipped 2.6 percent t an annualised rate of 4.48 million units in March, which was seen as another sign that the US economic recovery is running out of steam.

US light, sweet crude for June delivery, currently the most actively traded contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), rose US$1.58 to US$104.30/barrel in morning trade in New York.

June Brent crude climbed US$1.07 to US$119.11/barrel on the ICE Exchange this afternoon.

OIL FUTURES: Crude Gains With Equities, Falling Dollar

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Crude-oil futures rose Friday along with stock markets and the falling dollar, as improving data in Europe reduced worries about a slump in oil demand.

Light, sweet crude for May delivery recently traded $1.77, or 1.7%, higher at $104.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The May contract expires at settlement on Friday, and futures for June delivery recently traded $1.68 higher at $104.40 a barrel.

Brent crude for June delivery on the ICE futures exchange traded 99 cents higher at $119.99 a barrel.

Oil gained as improving data out of Germany and the U.K. early Friday lifted European markets and provided a boost to U.S. stock market futures.

European markets were broadly higher. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were recently up 72 points to 12,974.

The Ifo Institute's index of business confidence in Germany rose to 109.9 in April from 109.8 in March. U.K. retail sales for March rose 1.8% from February, well above expectations of a 0.8% increase.

The improving data also lifted the euro against the dollar. A falling dollar typically helps raise crude prices, as it makes oil cheaper for buyers in other currencies.

With tensions between Iran and the West cooling after recent talks, oil traders have turned their gaze back to the broader economy. A further slowdown in Europe would likely reduce demand in the region for oil and fuel products.

"We really saw a turnaround in sentiment with the business confidence numbers in Germany," said Matt Smith, an analyst at Summit Energy. "It's just a combination of a few bits of positive data."

Oil prices have fallen steadily from a peak near $110 a barrel in late February. But traders are unwilling to bet on prices falling through the key $100 a barrel level, particularly as retail gasoline prices have halted their rise under $4 a gallon.

As prices at the pump approached that key level in recent weeks, economists had feared rising fuel costs could scuttle the U.S. economic recovery.

Front-month May reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, recently traded 0.81 cent lower at $3.1460 a gallon. May heating oil recently traded 1.58 cents higher at $3.1409 a gallon.

Oil Rises to Near $104 After US Supplies Drop. April 25, 2012

Oil prices rose to near $104 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed U.S. crude supplies unexpectedly fell, suggesting demand may be improving.

Benchmark oil for June delivery was up 28 cents to $103.83 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 44 cents to settle at $103.55 in New York on Tuesday.

Brent crude for June delivery was up 10 cents at $118.26 per barrel in London.

The American Petroleum Institute said late Tuesday that crude inventories fell 1.0 million barrels last week while analysts surveyed by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos., had predicted an increase of 1.5 million barrels.




Crude supplies have jumped more than analyst forecasts for the previous four weeks. The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reports its weekly supply data later Wednesday.

"If the Energy Department corroborates, this would be a bullish number," energy trader and consultant The Schork Group said in a report.

Inventories of gasoline fell 3.6 million barrels last week while distillates also tumbled 3.6 million barrels, the API said.

Stronger U.S. crude demand could offset weakness in Europe where the region's debt crisis may force further government spending cuts that would hurt economic growth. Capital Economics expects Europe's economy to shrink 1 percent this year and 2.5 percent in 2013.

"Large parts of the eurozone are fundamentally uncompetitive and have unsustainable debt burdens," Capital Economics said in a report. "We still expect some form of eurozone break-up to begin in the coming year or so."

Investors will also be closely watching comments by the U.S. Federal Reserve about the strength of the recovery and monetary policy after its meeting Wednesday.

In other energy trading, heating oil was up 1.0 cent at $3.14 per gallon and gasoline futures fell 0.6 cent at $3.12 per gallon. Natural gas rose 0.4 cent at $1.98 per 1,000 cubic feet.