NEW YORK: Oil prices fell to their lowest since January 2019 on Monday on weaker Chinese demand in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and as traders waited to see if Russia would join other producers in seeking further output cuts.
Oil has dropped over 25% from a peak in January after the spreading virus hit demand in China, the world’s largest oil importer, and fueled concerns of excess global supplies.
Brent futures fell 99 cents, or 1.8%, to $53.48 a barrel by 12:05 p.m. EST (1705 GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 56 cents, or 1.1%, to $49.76.
That keeps both Brent and WTI in oversold territory for 13 days and 14 days, respectively, their longest bearish streaks since Nov. 2018. If Brent closes at its current level, it would be its lowest settle since December 2018.
The premium of the Brent front-month over the same WTI contract
“The concern remains that the wider markets have yet to reflect the full impact of the disruption,” said Saxo Bank commodity strategist Ole Hansen.
“With China being the world’s most dominant consumer of raw materials, the impact continues to be felt strongly across key commodities and the world is facing the biggest demand shock since the 2009 global financial crisis.”
Beijing has orchestrated support for its companies and financial markets in the past week and investors are hoping for more stimulus to lift the world’s second-biggest economy.
Worries over supply were not alleviated on Friday when Russia said it needed more time to decide on a recommendation from a technical committee that has advised the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies to cut production by a further 600,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The group, known as OPEC+, has been implementing cuts of 1.2 million bpd since January 2019.
Algeria’s Oil Minister Mohamed Arkab said on Sunday the committee had advised further output cuts until the end of the second quarter.
Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow needed more time to assess the situation, adding that US crude production growth would slow and global demand was still solid.
“The lack of enthusiasm from the Russians to deliver an additional 600,000 barrels per day in deeper production cuts could prove cost in stabilizing prices in the short-term,” Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York, said in a report.
Oil traders also said they were concerned the proposed reduction would not be sufficient to tighten global markets as China’s state refiners have said they would cut refining throughput by about 940,000 bpd this month.
Oil hits 13-mth low on weak Chinese demand, traders eye OPEC+ cuts
https://arab.news/2t7yw
Oil hits 13-mth low on weak Chinese demand, traders eye OPEC+ cuts
- Brent plumbs lowest levels in 13 months
- OPEC+ considers cutting output by another 600,000 bpd
Work suspended on Riyadh’s massive Mukaab megaproject: Reuters
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has suspended planned construction of a colossal cube-shaped skyscraper at the center of a downtown development in Riyadh while it reassesses the project's financing and feasibility, four people familiar with the matter said.
The Mukaab was planned as a 400-meter by 400-meter metal cube containing a dome with an AI-powered display, the largest on the planet, that visitors could observe from a more than 300-meter-tall ziggurat — or terraced structure —inside it.
Its future is now unclear, with work beyond soil excavation and pilings suspended, three of the people said. Development of the surrounding real estate is set to continue, five people familiar with the plans said.
The sources include people familiar with the project's development and people privy to internal deliberations at the PIF.
Officials from PIF, the Saudi government and the New Murabba project did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Real estate consultancy Knight Frank estimated the New Murabba district would cost about $50 billion — roughly equivalent to Jordan’s GDP — with projects commissioned so far valued at around $100 million.
Initial plans for the New Murabba district called for completion by 2030. It is now slated to be completed by 2040.
The development was intended to house 104,000 residential units and add SR180 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP, creating 334,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030, the government had estimated previously.
(With Reuters)
