Oil price hits a five-year low: What does this mean for markets? December 8, 2014 Equities could see a lift, but it’s bad news for oil exporters Looking ahead to 2015, there’s plenty for markets to fret about. Rate hikes in the UK and US are a near certainty – after years of extraordinary monetary stimulus that propped up asset prices and kept sovereign bond yields low – as are [...]
Brent Crude oil price slips to $67.35 a barrel, hitting a new five-year low December 8, 2014 The price of Brent Crude has plunged to $67.35 a barrel, its lowest since the midst of the financial crisis in October 2009. The benchmark oil price fell almost $2 a barrel, or 2.5 per cent, hitting a new five-year low and surpassing its previous nadir on 1 December, as prices continue to tumble after [...]
BP could cut jobs to cope with falling oil prices December 7, 2014 Oil giant BP is being cut down to size by tumbling oil prices, according to reports. The Sunday Times has reported that the company is to axe middle managers and freeze projects, just days ahead of a day-long presentation to the City next Wednesday in which BP is expected to lay out its exploration [...]
Oil price drop: How does it affect Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, the US, the UK and the Eurozone? December 5, 2014 The price of Brent crude oil has dropped by around 40 per cent since June, at one point falling to its lowest level in more than four years. It's now stablising at around $70 a barrel, but speculators think it could fall further – perhaps down to $65, maybe even as far as $60 [...]
FTSE rebounds as oil price rise boosts energy companies – London Report December 2, 2014 BRITAIN’S main equity index rebounded from a two-week low yesterday, led by energy shares, as oil prices rose from five-year lows. Energy stocks helped the FTSE 100 index to close 1.3 per cent higher at 6,742.10 points. It had fallen one per cent in the previous session to a two-week low, its steepest one-day drop [...]
Rouble sees steepest crash since 1998 after early oil price drop December 1, 2014 THE RUSSIAN rouble yesterday suffered its sharpest fall since the nation’s 1998 financial crisis. The currency dived by 7.6 per cent against the dollar early in the day before staging a recovery. The rouble began the day worth $0.02015 but had dropped to $0.01861 by 11:40am. Late last night the rouble was worth $0.01955. The movements [...]
New oil lows put bonds at risk as Opec keeps pumping November 27, 2014 OIL PRICES dived last night after Saudi Arabia stopped cartel Opec from cutting production. Traditionally, the Organisation of Petrol Exporting Countries cuts production to shore up prices, but Middle Eastern countries are reacting to other factors, such as a rise in US oil output, which is more expensive to pump than Saudi oil Brent crude prices fell 6.6 [...]
Opec’s decision not to cut production pulls down oil firms – London Report November 27, 2014 THE FTSE closed mixed yesterday, with oil-sensitive blue chips heavy fallers after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) said it would take no action to ease a global supply gut of oil. Their losses were almost offset by gains elsewhere. The FTSE 100 closed down 5.75 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 6723.42. FTSE [...]
Shell, BP and Petrofac shares close down as Opec decides not to cut oil production November 27, 2014 FTSE 100 oil producers plummeted this afternoon as the Opec group of oil-producing companies, who met today in Vienna, announced its decision not to curb oil production, despite falling prices. Tullow Oil and BG Group were among the biggest fallers, closing down 7.76 per cent and 6.15 per cent respectively, while Petrofac closed down 5.95 per [...]
Has Opec just reached consensus on oil production? November 27, 2014 Is there a whiff of consensus from Opec over oil prices? The markets seem to think so, with oil prices dropping on either side of the Atlantic. This could be because the consensus means that Opec will be siding with a group of countries – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Qatar – not wanting to [...]