Saudi Arabia’s 2015 budget is probably assuming an oil price of $80 a barrel, and will be seen as a sign of confidence in the market, according to a former economic adviser to the country’s government. The assumption is down from $103 a barrel for this year, John Sfakianakis, who used to be chief economic adviser to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance, said by phone after the budget was announced yesterday. The world’s biggest crude exporter set 2015 spending at 860 billion riyals ($229 billion) with revenue falling to 715 billion riyals from 1.046 trillion riyals in 2014, the Finance Ministry said. Oil accounted for 89 percent of its 2014 revenue. Brent oil tumbled into a bear market this year as the U.S. pumped the most crude in more than three decades, leading the United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei to urge producers from outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to trim output. Iraq, the second-biggest producer in OPEC, said this week its 2015 budget is based on $60 oil. “Everyone was expecting to see a budget built on a price around $60 but that would have sent a negative message to the oil market,” Sfakianakis said from Riyadh. “With a fiscal break even price of $80 a barrel, the government is sending a message to the market that we are expecting to see a rebound in oil prices.” Sfakianakis is Middle East director at London-based Ashmore Group Plc. Boosting Demand
Saudi Arabia is confident that crude prices will rebound with global economic growth boosting demand as high-cost producers cut back, Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said on Dec. 21. “I’m 100 percent sure prices will go up, they have no other direction but to go up.” Brent fell 2.4 percent on Dec. 24 to $60.24 a barrel after a government report showed U.S. crude inventories increased the most in two months. Stockpiles climbed 7.27 million barrels in the week ended Dec. 19 as imports surged, the Energy Information Administration said. Saudi Arabia has 265 billion barrels of oil reserves, with production of 9.65 million barrels a day in November, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Iraq, the second-biggest producer, was pumping 3.35 million barrels. OPEC’s decision to maintain output at its Nov. 27 meeting in Vienna fanned speculation that Saudi Arabia and other members want North American shale drillers and other producers outside the group to be the first to cut production. Saudi Arabia and Iran this month cut the official price levels of their main light crude grades for sale to Asia to the lowest in at least 14 years. Surging oil prices over the past decade helped Saudi Arabia boost its net foreign assets to a record 2.9 trillion riyals in October, according to central bank data. - http://www.bloomberg.com
Oil traded above $60 a barrel amid concern about Libyan supply after government forces struck Islamist militias close to the nation’s largest terminal at Es Sider.
don't worry too much, Haidan is the captain of the ship. if no good deal done, he and his partners are the biggest loser, lost every cent of their investment in sona. that is the good part
Posted by michael_lee > Dec 30, 2014 01:32 PM | Report Abuse
wonder what is hadian up to now. So long already still no news
Posted by nice1 > Dec 30, 2014 02:00 PM | Report Abuse X
don't worry too much, Haidan is the captain of the ship. if no good deal done, he and his partners are the biggest loser, lost every cent of their investment in sona. that is the good part
Posted by michael_lee > Dec 30, 2014 01:32 PM | Report Abuse
wonder what is hadian up to now. So long already still no news
Asian markets open sharply lower amid oil fears Wall Street declined overnight following the relentless fall in oil prices. Energy stocks led a broad decline on Wall Street overnight, as crude prices dropped to fresh five-and-a-half-year lows amid concerns about growth beyond the U.S. Read More This week's market watch list: China, Australia data Keeping an eye on Greece Political uncertainty in Greece has raised fears of a Greek exit from the euro zone. The country announced snap general elections for January, with Syriza, the far-left opposition party which has vowed to overthrow the onerous terms of Greece's international bailout, likely in the lead. Along with bets on quantitative easing by the European Central Bank, the euro tumbled to its weakest level since June 2010 on Monday. In early Asian trade, the currency was quoted at $1,193 to the dollar.
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 6): Incredible as it may seem, in the present scenario of tumbling oil prices amid a supply glut, current low oil prices may well be a prelude to global oil shortage as early as 2016, according to Oilprice.com.
In an opinion piece Dec 30, Energy Prospectus Group president Dan Steffens said: “For a commodity as critical to our standard of living as oil is, it only takes a small shortage to drive up the price.”
Currently there is just 2 percent more crude oil supply than demand and the price of gasoline is under US$2 per gallon in Texas.
“If oil supply falls too far, we could see gasoline prices doubling within 18 months, he said
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....
Mary552
11 posts
Posted by Mary552 > 2014-12-26 17:36 | Report Abuse
Please believe my son forecast ability ! If you people don't believe me, I have nothing to say !