Oil prices settled 2% lower on Thursday, the second day of declines, after Russia said it would fulfill existing contracts and traders speculated that recent supply fears are overblown.
Energy futures posted their largest high-to-low range on record this week. In mid-morning trading today, WTI futures were up 3.0% at $109.20/bbl, Brent was up 2.6% at $112.20/bbl and U.S. natural gas was up 2.3% at $4.74/MMBtu.
Prices for U.S. distillates — including diesel fuel and heating oil — are at their highest level since 2014, boosted by high demand for trucking and rail freight transport:
U.S. attempts to recover lost Russian oil imports are rife with controversy as the nation reopens talks with oil-rich nations in the Middle East and other countries under strict U.S. sanctions, including Iran and Venezuela.
Proposed mergers in the U.S. shale industry are falling through as firms worry about overpriced assets.
German economists warn that cutting off Russian energy imports would cause a GDP contraction rivaling the worst waves of COVID-19.
More top-ranking U.S. officials are endorsing natural gas as a potential benefit for the climate.
Exxon Mobil is in the final round of interviewing bankers for a potential sale of up to $5 billion in mature North Dakota shale assets, the latest in a string of aggressive moves to cut costs and boost shareholder returns.
The U.S. administration earmarked $36 million for research into advanced nuclear waste disposal for when the country’s next-generation reactors come online in the 2030s.
Coal India, the world’s largest miner, is seeking net-zero emissions within the next four years.
More supply chain news related to the war in Europe:
The global shipping industry is calling for the safe passage of roughly 100 foreign-flagged vessels and hundreds more mariners stranded at Ukrainian ports by fighting. A growing number of shipowners are asking crews to abandon their vessels as at least five stranded ships have been hit by explosions.
Airfreight rates from China to Europe jumped 80% the first week of Russia’s invasion, according to Freightos.
The queue of container ships waiting to unload at Southern California ports fell to 48 vessels last weekend, less than half January’s record of 109 and the smallest since last September. Analysts peg the breather on a Lunar New Year lull and a sharp decline in workers calling in sick with COVID-19.
Analysts say the causes of last year’s historic shipping backlogs — including labor constraints, high demand and low capacity — will continue throughout 2022.
U.S. electric truck startup Rivian lowered production estimates to just 25,000 vehicles this year, roughly half of market expectations, due to supply chain constraints and higher component costs.
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a fresh warning about transporting discarded lithium after an illegally loaded container caught fire and melted while in transit to the Port of Virginia yesterday.
Domestic Markets
The U.S. reported 48,318 new COVID-19 infections and 1,645 virus fatalities Thursday.
Roughly 98% of Americans can ditch face masks, according to the CDC’s new guidance.
Public schools with masking requirements saw 23% fewer COVID-19 infections among students and staff, according to one CDC study.
U.S. inflation-adjusted weekly earnings dropped 2.3% last month from a year ago.
Consumer prices in New York City rose just 5.1% last month compared to the record 7.9% rate nationwide.
The U.S. Senate passed a $1.5 trillion package to fund the federal government for the current fiscal year, with the measure now heading to the White House for approval.
Lower pandemic spending pushed the U.S. budget deficit down by more than half during the first five months of the latest fiscal year to $475.6 billion, the lowest since 2018.
Entry-level salaries at some of the top U.S. banking firms are surging on the perfect storm of an economic rebound and a historically tight labor market.
U.S. household net worth jumped 3.7% in the fourth quarter to an all-time high $150 trillion, fueled by rising stock prices and higher home values.
The average U.S. 30-year mortgage rate hit 3.85% this week, its first increase in three weeks.
An index of U.S. rent prices rose 0.6% in February, the fastest rise in three decades. In Manhattan alone, prices are up nearly 30% year over year.
The U.S. population rose 5% the past decade to 323.2 million, higher than the official census count due to the millions of uncounted people during the first few months of the pandemic.
The U.S. plans to ban imports of Russian vodka, seafood and diamonds as it steps up economic pressure on the country.
Goldman Sachs became the first major Wall Street bank to shutter operations in Russia. The move was quickly followed by a similar announcement from JPMorgan Chase.
Today marks the second anniversary since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
According to a new study, global deaths in 2020 and 2021 were 18 million higher than normal, suggesting that the official death count from COVID-19 of 6 million is greatly under reported.
Just eight days before Germany’s pandemic restrictions are set to expire, COVID-19 cases in the nation are rising again, recently surpassing 250,000 in a single day.
China is experiencing its worst COVID-19 wave since early in the pandemic, with over 1,000 domestic infections Friday. A lockdown was imposed on the 9 million residents of Changchun due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the city and schools were closed in Shanghai.
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