Andrew Critchlow
Head of news, EMEA 
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June 10, 2019 10:02 UTC 
(0)
OPEC is learning the dangers of dealing with the Kremlin. President Vladimir Putin now has the group’s Middle East kingpin Saudi Arabia over a barrel and can name his own terms to continue their partnership. The oil cartel depends on extending its alliance with Russia to keep restricting supplies if it stands any chance of engineering a quick rebound in prices. |
Paul Hickin
Associate editorial director
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May 29, 2019 10:09 UTC
(0)
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, spoke to Paul Hickin about the new oil market dynamics unleashed by US shale production, challenges facing Venezuela, and heightened geopolitical risk. In 2012, Fatih Birol predicted that the US would become the largest oil producer by the end of the decade. In an exclusive interview with S&P Global Platts at the IEA headquarters in Paris, Birol did not hold back in outlining the impact US supply is now having on OPEC. The ardent supporter of Turkish soccer team Galatasaray, who has never driven a car, is also worried that Middle East producers may score an own goal if they do not diversify their economies quickly. |
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Andrew Critchlow
Head of news, EMEA
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May 20, 2019 07:10 UTC
(1)
Drone attacks on pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the mysterious alleged sabotage of tankers near Fujairah sent pulses racing, but a phony war in the Persian Gulf failed to trigger a feared triple-digit surge in crude prices. A hot war, however, between the US and Iran could be an entirely different matter. |
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Paul Hickin
Associate editorial director
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May 13, 2019 12:07 UTC
(1)
Carole Nakhle, CEO of independent consultancy Crystol Energy and founder of Access for Women in Energy, spoke to Paul Hickin about energy transitions and shifting oil and gas politics. |
Eesha Muneeb
Editor, Middle East crude oil
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February 25, 2019 07:02 UTC
(0)
Premium quality crude oil barrels are currently at some of their cheapest ever levels in the global market, with supply imbalances causing quality spreads to narrow significantly and for sustained lengths of time. Derivatives of light, sweet Brent crude have fallen to record lows versus Dubai derivatives traded on the Intercontinental Exchange in recent weeks. › Continue Reading |
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Andrew Critchlow
Head of news, EMEA
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February 18, 2019 09:37 UTC
(0)
OPEC still needs Russia to prop up oil markets, but the arguments for an even closer relationship with the cartel are weakening. The Kremlin’s two-year-long alliance with the 14-member group has been useful up to a point. On the one hand, oil diplomacy has helped to bolster President Vladimir Putin’s growing regional ambitions in the wider Middle East. On the other, Russia’s economy has also benefited from higher prices buffing up Putin’s financial credentials and popularity at home. |
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Andrew Critchlow
Head of news, EMEA
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January 17, 2019 09:49 UTC
(3)
Get used to more scary oil market volatility in 2019. This is the message coming from leading industry strategists and forecasters after a bruising end to last year, when Brent crude dipped below $50/b. Although the benchmark has recovered along with major global stock markets, forecasters are concerned about the prospects of a sustained rebound. Unpredictable geopolitical upheavals like Brexit and US President Donald Trump’s trade wars are expected to weigh more heavily on sentiment than the fundamentals of supply and demand. |
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Andrew Critchlow
Head of news, EMEA
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January 7, 2019 10:38 UTC
(1)
Saudi Arabia cannot continue living beyond its means indefinitely. The kingdom is projecting another hefty budget deficit this year after crude prices plummeted by about than 40% since last October. Until the Arabian petrodollar states learn to tighten their belts, oil consumers will remain vulnerable to their economic mismanagement. |
Brian Scheid and Meghan Gordon
Oil news
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Andrew Critchlow
Head of news, EMEA
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December 10, 2018 10:30 UTC
(0)
Qatar’s reasons for exiting OPEC look muddled. The tiny Persian Gulf sheikhdom says it wants to concentrate on building on its position as the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead of being a minor player in an oil cartel dominated by Saudi Arabia. Aside from saving on membership fees, leaving the group has few benefits and many risks. |
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