Brent holds above $80 a barrel ahead of OPEC+ meeting
[London] Oil prices were little changed on Monday, with Brent...
[London] Oil prices were little changed on Monday, with Brent holding above $80 a barrel, as investors awaited the OPEC+ meeting later this week for an agreement to curb supplies into 2024.
Both contracts rose slightly last week, their first weekly gain in five, underpinned by expectations that Saudi Arabia and Russia could roll over voluntary supply cuts into early 2024 and OPEC+ might discuss plans to reduce further.
Investment in oil and gas exploration, production in Oman stands at $5.84 billion
The total volume of investment in oil and gas exploration,...
The total volume of investment in oil and gas exploration, production, and development during the first half of 2023 reached $5.84 billion.
Capital expenditure—including geological surveys, drilling, and facilities—accounted for 62 percent of total investment, while 38 percent went to operating expenses, said Dr. Saleh bin Ali Al Abbouri, Director General of Oil and Gas Exploration and Production at the Ministry of Energy and Minerals.
He further added that, during 2023, oil companies operating in the Sultanate of Oman drilled many exploratory wells in various oil and gas concession areas.
A four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas...
A four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began Friday as Hamas released 24 hostages (13 Israeli women and children, 10 Thai nationals, and one Filipino citizen) while Israel released 39 Palestinian women and children detainees. The exchange is part of a short-term cease-fire deal brokered by Qatar and marks the first time fighting has temporarily halted between the two sides since Hamas captured more than 240 people during a surprise cross-border attack seven weeks ago.
During the duration of the pause, Hamas is set to free at least 50 hostages in exchange for the release of at least 150 Palestinians held in Israel's prisons. Israel has said the truce could be extended for an extra day for every 10 hostages released. At least 137 trucks carrying aid and fuel also entered Gaza Friday through the Rafah crossing as part of the agreement, with UN officials calling the humanitarian convoy the biggest since Hamas' Oct. 7 raid.
The energy sector is off to a mixed to lower start, pressured by weakness in the underlying commodities while the major equity futures hover near the flatline. U.S. stock index futures were largely muted in a shortened trading session for Thanksgiving, although Wall Street looked on course to extend its weekly winning run on optimism that U.S. interest rates have peaked.
WTI and Brent crude oil futures are extending declines for the second-straight session as traders remained cautious ahead of next week's OPEC+ meeting, which could bring some kind of agreement on output cuts in 2024. Both contracts were on track for their first weekly gain in five weeks as OPEC+ prepares for a meeting that will have output cuts high on the agenda after recent oil price declines on demand concerns and burgeoning supply, particularly from non-OPEC producers.
Natural gas futures are down in early trading as healthy supplies and high storage levels offset cooler temperature forecasts.
Black Friday on Wall Street: Markets operating on abbreviated schedule
Major U.S. stock exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange...
Major U.S. stock exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, are set to close equity trading at 1 p.m. Eastern Friday in an abbreviated session. Bond traders will also see an early finish, with trade group Sifma calling for a 2 p.m. close for fixed-income markets.
Thanksgiving week, unsurprisingly, is often characterized by light volume, which can make for choppier markets. Data going back to 1950 shows that despite the abbreviated trading, the S&P 500 SPX has seen an average move of plus or minus 1.5% during Thanksgiving week, not far off the average of 1.6% for all five-day trading periods, according to E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.
U.S. stocks have seen a robust rally so far in November, with the S&P 500 index exiting correction territory on Monday as it finished less than 1% away from its 2023 closing high set on July 31.