Oil prices slide on strong dollar, rising supplies

An oil worker removes a thread cap from a piece of drill pipe on a drilling lease owned by Elevation Resources near Midland, Texas, US. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 15 November 2021
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Oil prices slide on strong dollar, rising supplies

  • US shale production in December is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels of 8.68 million barrels a day

NEW YORK: Oil prices slipped to a one-week low on Monday on expectations supplies will increase while demand will be pressured by the recent surge in energy costs, the strong dollar and rising COVID-19 cases.

Brent futures fell 76 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $81.41 a barrel by 1:13 p.m. EST (1813 GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 70 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $80.09.

That puts both benchmarks on track to fall to their lowest close since Nov. 4.

The strong dollar weighed on oil prices, along with ongoing speculation that President Joe Biden’s administration will release oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The safe-haven US dollar hit a 16-month high against a basket of major peers as investors worried about the global economy. A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for buyers using other currencies.

Last week, US energy firms added oil and natural gas rigs for a third week in a row, encouraged by a 65 percent increase in US crude prices so far this year.

US shale production in December is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels of 8.68 million barrels a day, according to Rystad Energy.

Meanwhile, there are indications demand may be slowing due to heightened coronavirus cases and inflation.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries last week cut its world oil demand forecast for the fourth quarter by 330,000 bpd from last month’s forecast, as high energy prices hampered economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The market now seems to be less concerned about the current supply tightness, expecting it to be short-lived,” Rystad senior markets analyst Louise Dickson said.

“Traders are instead refocusing on the return of two bearish factors — the possibility of more oil supply sources and more COVID-19 cases.”

Europe has again become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing lockdowns, while China is battling the spread of its biggest outbreak caused by the delta variant.


PIF-backed EV maker Lucid hits 16k 2025 deliveries, sets sights on robotaxi deployment

Updated 8 sec ago
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PIF-backed EV maker Lucid hits 16k 2025 deliveries, sets sights on robotaxi deployment

RIYADH: Electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Group, majority-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, announced a surge in deliveries in 2025 with volumes reaching 15,841 units, a 55 percent increase year-on-year.

According to a statement, the EV maker also provided an optimistic production outlook for 2026, signaling confidence in its operational turnaround and strategic shift toward autonomy.

In September 2023, the group opened its first-ever international car manufacturing facility in the Kingdom. The hub serves as the company’s second Advanced Manufacturing Plant and its first outside of the US.

According to the earnings report, the company delivered 5,345 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 72 percent from the same period in the previous year, marking its eighth consecutive quarter of record deliveries.

Interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said that 2025 “was all about execution and strategy adjustment to set Lucid up for long-term success. Against a challenging macro backdrop, we nearly doubled production, gained market share, reduced unit costs, and strengthened our financial position.”

This commercial momentum translated directly into financial gains. Lucid’s fourth-quarter revenue soared 123 percent to $522.7 million, while full-year 2025 earnings climbed 68 percent to $1.35 billion. The company ended the quarter with a robust liquidity position of approximately $4.6 billion.

A key driver of the improved performance was the ramp-up of production, including the launch of the Lucid Gravity SUV. Despite facing supply chain and tariff headwinds, Lucid nearly doubled its total production for the year.

The company clarified its final production figures for 2025, reporting a total of 17,840 vehicles. This aligns with its previous guidance of approximately 18,000 units.

Lucid explained that a preliminary estimate of 18,378 units, announced in early January, was revised after 538 vehicles were found not to have completed the final internal validation procedures required to be classified as “produced.”

These vehicles are expected to be finalized in 2026, and the company stressed the revision does not impact previously reported financial results.

The manufacturer expects to produce between 25,000 and 27,000 vehicles in 2026, representing growth of up to 51 percent compared with 2025.

Chief Financial Officer Taoufiq Boussaid said: “Q4 marked a clear step-change in production and unit economics. The progress we made is structural, creating a more repeatable and stable operating cadence heading into 2026.”

Beyond the production numbers, Lucid outlined a pivot toward software and autonomy. Winterhoff highlighted the company’s ambition to become an “early mover in the emerging robotaxi market” by leveraging its industry-leading EV technology and strategic partnerships.

To fund these future growth platforms while maintaining financial discipline, the company is making targeted adjustments to its workforce.

“As we prepare for the next stage of our product and volume expansion, we are making targeted adjustments to our US-based, non-manufacturing workforce to reallocate resources to support the next stage of our growth and margin progression,” Boussaid added.

He reiterated the company’s commitment to “financial rigor, operational efficiency, and thoughtful capital allocation.”

In January 2025, the EV maker became the first global automotive company to join the Kingdom’s “Made in Saudi” program, granting it the right to use the “Saudi Made” label on its products, symbolizing the nation’s focus on quality and innovation.

Lucid’s facility, located in King Abdullah Economic City, can currently assemble 5,000 vehicles annually during its first phase. Once fully operational, the complete manufacturing plant, including the assembly line, is expected to produce up to 155,000 electric cars per year. 

This comes as the Kingdom is promoting the adoption of electric vehicles as part of its Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
A critical target of the initiative is for 30 percent of all vehicles in Riyadh to be electric by 2030, contributing to a broader goal of reducing emissions in the capital by 50 percent.