Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy contracts in Q1, set for a weak 2023 Flash GDP figures showed that Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted in Q1 on the back of OPEC+-agreed oil output cuts, but growth in the non-oil economy remained strong. The “voluntary” oil production... 9th May 2023 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update China’s commodity imports likely to remain soft China’s commodity imports were generally weak in April. We suspect that import volumes generally could soften a bit further as any reopening effect on commodity demand fades and export demand... 9th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update Commodity prices to struggle in the next few months The key message from the latest China PMIs is that whilst China’s economy is likely to grow strongly this quarter, momentum is fading. This will be one factor weighing on commodity prices in the near... 4th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Oil prices, Tunisia-IMF, Egypt default concerns The fall in oil prices this week has taken them to a level at which Saudi Arabia will be running a budget deficit and may have closed the door on the prospect of looser fiscal policy in the Gulf. It... 4th May 2023 · 8 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Commercial stocks continued to fall last week despite lower refinery runs and higher net imports. On the products side, total demand eased back. Of course, one week’s data are not sufficient to mark a... 3rd May 2023 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly Demand concerns back on the menu Commodity prices generally fell earlier this week on the back of investors’ growing concerns about the outlook for commodities demand. Later in the week, the release of softer-than-expected US Q1 GDP... 28th April 2023 · 6 mins read
Energy Focus Introducing our long-term energy market forecasts The global energy market is in the early days of a radical redesign due to the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions. In this Focus, we introduce our long-term energy market forecasts, which are... 27th April 2023 · 14 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Commercial stocks fell last week as production and net imports declined. Meanwhile, product demand remains resilient, but we doubt oil demand can weather the mounting economic headwinds much longer. 26th April 2023 · 2 mins read
Energy Update JODI Energy Demand Monitor (Jan & Feb.) JODI data show that oil demand held up in advanced economies at the beginning of the year. We suspect this won’t last though as weakening economic activity drags on demand over 2023. The data also... 26th April 2023 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Aramco-PIF, COP28, Tunisia politics, Black Sea grain The latest transfer of a 4% stake in Aramco by the Saudi government to the Public Investment Fund will help meet the Kingdom meet its Vision 2030 goals, but it will not reduce the state’s dependency... 20th April 2023 · 6 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Sharply higher refining activity and a rise in exports drove commercial crude stocks lower this week. Meanwhile, US production was stable. We think it will only rise a little further by the end of the... 19th April 2023 · 4 mins read
Commodities Weekly Prices starting to look on borrowed time Commodity prices received a boost from expectations that the Fed is nearing the end of its tightening cycle and the weaker US dollar this week, but we think that it is only a matter of time before the... 14th April 2023 · 6 mins read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Apr.) Despite justifying its recent production cuts on an uncertain demand outlook, OPEC did not make any changes to its 2023 global GDP or oil demand forecasts in its monthly report for March. We think the... 13th April 2023 · 3 mins read
Global Markets Update We think equities won’t move together with oil for a while Although equity and oil prices are usually positively correlated, we think equities will struggle in the next few months and that oil prices will end this year somewhat higher than they are now. We... 13th April 2023 · 5 mins read
Commodities Update China’s commodity imports probably close to a peak China’s commodity imports generally rose strongly in March which we think reflects higher demand as a result of the re-opening of the economy. While April data may also be strong, we expect import... 13th April 2023 · 2 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Commercial crude stocks rose last week, owing to a record weekly fall in exports and small amounts were sold from strategic reserves. Meanwhile, implied demand for key petroleum products remains... 12th April 2023 · 3 mins read
