Nigeria requires $3.5 billion funds to fill its $15 billion budget deficit. The falling oil prices are eroding revenues for the government. The largest economy in Africa is seeking $2.5 billion loan from the World Bank and $1 billion loan from ADB.
Energy
Shell Q4 earnings fall 44%; confirms job cuts
Royal Dutch Shell said that its profit for the fourth quarter dropped 44% as the price of the crude oil tumble. The UK-based oil firm also confirmed that it is trimming 10,000 jobs, a move to reduce its costs.
Cheap oil benefits consumers, hits governments
The lower oil price for about 19 months is benefiting the consumers, but creating a lot of problems for the global governments and business firms. Many banks and the US government forecast oil price above $40 a barrel this year. The oil price fell to below $30 during the past 19 months from $107 a barrel.
Oil price may rebound 50% in 2016
The latest forecast indicates 50 percent rebound in oil prices by the end of 2016. The oil price could be higher by $15 per barrel this year taking the New York crude to $46 a barrel by fourth quarter and Brent to $48 during the same period. The drop in US shale output is likely to drive oil price up in the second half of 2016.
Dow Jones was Down 300 Points on Tuesday as Exxon and Energy Shares Plunge
Stocks dipped to session lows on Tuesday. Shares of oil companies plunged as crude oil continued to slide. Three of major indexes also fell.
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Saudi Arabia has suffered from the oil price collapse, and needs to plan a diversified economic strategy. The country has called $30 per barrel oil price is not rational, and aiming to encourage foreign investment to enter the country.
Oil prices rebounded on news that there may be production cut by OPEC. US Brent futures recouped losses by 6.8 percent and US crude pared 9.3 percent losses during the week. In overall, oil prices rebounded by over 25 percent after hitting 12-month low in January. Oil price hit $27.10 on 20 January 2016.
Russia says there's proposal from OPEC on production cuts and it's open to have a word on oil production cuts. Russia is a non-OPEC oil producing nation. Russian oil minister said that the proposal envisages five percent cut in the oil production to support falling oil price. However, there's no clarity over the proposal whether it was from OPEC or non-OPEC members.
California becomes the pioneer state with new LED standards in place. The new regulation replaces the old traditional directional bulbs with the more expensive but energy-efficient LED ones. While more expensive, California Energy Commission promises huge benefits in terms of a bulb's longevity and, more importantly, electric bills.
South American nation Venezuela is suffering from gasoline smuggling to neighboring nations. Gasoline is heavily subsidized in Venezuela. The cheaper gasoline smuggling has become a major revenue source in the crisis-hit Venezuelan economy. Venezuela's President has deployed soldiers in large number to keep constant vigil on its borders. Venezuela is losing foreign exchange revenue in US dollars because of smuggling of gasoline.
Malaysia has trimmed its growth forecast mainly due to plunging oil prices. A miscalculated assumption has messed up the 2016 budget, which has the government groping for damage-control measures. One of the key outcomes were increasing the household spending of the country, which can give the sluggish economy a much-needed boost.
The average gasoline price fell to seven year low and is hovering at $1.91 per gallon in the US. If crude oil price continues to move upwards, then the gas price fall may rebound in the near future. According to AAA, the average may not go above $3 a gallon in 2016. Gasoline price fell 14 cents during the past two weeks.
Speculation over production cut and held the oil price to around $30 a barrel, but uncertainty still lingers. Meanwhile, U.S inventories are reported to reach its highest level of crude stockpile.
US oil explorers are expected to report a combined loss of about $14 billion for the year 2015, as a result of the sharpest oil price slump in a generation. Bankruptcies and disappointing debt exchanges have led the oil explorers to cut thousands of staffs, trim dividends, and abandon drilling projects to preserve capital and resist insolvency.
