Business
Oil Eyes $50 Per Barrel As Outages, Global Stocks Rally
Oil rose to six-month high near $50 per barrel yesterday boosted by investors demand for riskier assets at the expense of safe-haven bonds.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose 0.7 per cent to $49.31 per barrel, after having risen 2.4 percent on Monday, touching $49.47, its highest since early November.
US crude’s West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures CLc1 went up 1.1 per cent to $48.24, having risen 3.3 per cent on Monday.
Besides, the prices of oil have been helped by supply disruptions from a combination of Nigerian, Venezuelan and other outages.
There are also declining US production and virtually frozen inflows of Canadian crude after wildfires in Alberta’s oil sands region slowed glut and helped to lift oil prices.
“The oil market continues to make an even larger fool of most forecasters than other financial assets: having caught everyone out by plummeting, it is now catching us out by continuing to rise,” Rabobank analysts wrote.
“I expect prices to take a shot at $50,” said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank.
“The outages in Canada and Nigeria alone are probably enough to leave the global oil market undersupplied at present.”
Oil is still only half its level of mid-2014, when concern about excess supply prompted prices to begin a decline from over $100.
Still, the disruptions this week triggered a U-turn in the oil market outlook of Goldman Sachs.
The bank, which had been warning of a risk of $20 oil, now sees US crude trading as high as $50 in the second half of 2016.
Crude inventories in the US at a record high in April, are expected to decline in weekly supply reports due later on Tuesday and on Wednesday.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.