PETROLEUM PRODUCTS – PRICES

Too early to say goodbye to tough times

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 2-Dec-16

AWE Limited CEO David Biggs says that oil and producers are unlikely to increase their capital investment until the longer-term impact of OPEC’s production cuts on the crude oil price is known. He believes that a sustained price above $US60 per barrel will be needed for oil companies to commit to increased spending. Beach Energy director Jim McKerlie agrees that the OPEC deal will not be a "gamechanger" for oil and gas producers.

CORPORATES
AWE LIMITED – ASX AWE, BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES, HORIZON OIL LIMITED – ASX HZN, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, FAR LIMITED – ASX FAR, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS

Three-week high for $A on new pact

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jens Meyer
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 30-Sep-16

The Australian dollar rose above $US0.77 in early trading on 29 September 2016, reaching a three-week high. The local currency benefited from OPEC’s decision to limit oil production by between 0.7 per cent and 2.2 per cent to a range of 32.5-33.0 million barrels per day. Other commodities have already been rising lately.

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES, OANDA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND

OPEC deal sparks energy stocks rally

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jessica Sier, Jens Meyer
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 30-Sep-16

The S&P/ASX 200 index rose one per cent to 5,471.3 points on 29 September 2016. Energy stocks performed strongly following a decision of OPEC members to reduce production in the coming months. The energy sector closed 6.3 per cent higher, with Beach Energy gaining 10 per cent and Santos, Origin and Woodside all climbing more than seven per cent.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES, BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, SPARK INFRASTRUCTURE GROUP – ASX SKI, MIGME LIMITED – ASX MIG, SOSV, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Bleak credit outlook rating for oil and gas this quarter

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 14-Jul-16

Brent crude oil was trading at around $US48 per barrel on 13 July 2016, but ratings agency Standard & Poor’s still expects it to average $US40 for the remainder of the calendar year. Meanwhile, Lawrence Hu of S&P has identified the potential for a sustained oversupply of oil as the biggest risk for oil and gas companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Both S&P and Moody’s expect the oil price to average $US45 in 2017.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S CORPORATION, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

BHP gets shale oil wells ready after price rises

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 21 : 23-Jun-16

BHP Billiton CEO Andrew Mackenzie has indicated that the group will commence production at some of its drilled but uncompleted shale oil wells in the US, following an upturn in the crude oil price. It is now trading at around $US50 per barrel, having reached a low of $US26 a barrel in February 2016. Mackenzie has also reiterated that BHP’s preference is to pursue growth via its existing assets rather than acquisitions.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Oil’s bounce offers respite for producers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 28 : 18-May-16

The price of Brent crude oil has rallied to almost $US50 per barrel in mid-May 2016, after falling to around $US28 in January. The rebound has in turn bolstered the share prices of Australian oil and gas producers such as Woodside Petroleum and Santos. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs forecasts that the oil price will rise to $US60 a barrel in the December 2017 quarter, although the firms says increased supply could result in it falling to around $US45 in the March quarter.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION, MERRILL LYNCH AND COMPANY INCORPORATED

Woodside, Origin under ratings pressure after Fitch downgrades

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 26-Apr-16

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the credit ratings outlook of both Woodside Petroleum and Origin Energy from "stable" to negative. The two groups currently boast credit ratings of "BBB+" and "BBB" respectively. Fitch expects further volatility in the crude oil price and says it is unlikely to rebound for some time. However, Bernstein Research is upbeat about the outlook for the oil price.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, FITCH RATINGS LIMITED, BERNSTEIN INVESTMENT RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG LIMITED

Miners feel pinch of dollar, oil switch

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 20 : 23-Mar-16

The Australian dollar has risen by about 10 per cent so far in 2016. This has offset the benefits of the rebound in the prices of key resources commodities, which are typically priced in US dollars. Mining companies have also been hit by increased fuel costs due to the rally in the crude oil price. Tom Price of Morgan Stanley says the rise in the value of the currency and the crude oil price may prompt more resources groups to reduce production or mothball mines.

CORPORATES
MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Oil and gas players gaining confidence that the worst is over

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 15-Mar-16

The price of Brent crude oil was trading at around $US40 per barrel on 14 March 2016, compared with a low of around $US28/barrel in January. Beach Energy director Jim McKerlie expects the oil price to remain at around $US40 in the near-term, and he forecasts that it will eventually rebound. Meanwhile, Fat Prophets expects the price of Brent crude oil to be trading at around $US55/barrel by the end of 2016.

CORPORATES
BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, FAT PROPHETS, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, DRILLSEARCH ENERGY LIMITED, BERNSTEIN RESEARCH, AWE LIMITED – ASX AWE, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG

IEA head warns low oil prices may threaten energy security

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 10-Feb-16

The International Energy Agency’s executive director, Fatih Birol, says investment in oil production is expected to fall by 16 per cent in 2016, following a 20 per cent downturn in 2015. He has warned that some higher-cost projects may be delayed or put on hold if the crude oil price remains at current levels. This in turn could increase reliance on oil from the Middle East, where geopolitical tensions could affect global oil supply. Birol also noted that Australia’s LNG projects will benefit global energy security in the long-term.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE