Saudi Arabia considering initial public offering for Aramco

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iconOEF REVIEW:A potential initial public offering is under review for Saudi Arabian Oil Co., also known as Aramco, Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s deputy crown prince, said in an interview with The Economist. A decision will probably be taken in the next few months, he said, without giving further details. “Personally I’m enthusiastic about this step,” Salman said. “I believe it is in the interest of the Saudi market, and it is in the interest of Aramco” by helping to promote transparency and counter corruption, he said. “This is an epochal change in the oil industry,” said Bob McNally, founder of Washington-based consultant The Rapidan Group and a former senior White House official. “Saudi Arabia is getting ready to ride the oil-price roller-coaster, not control it.”

China goes underground to expand Its strategic oil reserves

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iconOEF REVIEW:In a move to improve its energy security and take advantage of cheap oil, China is spending billions of dollars to build up strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) to meet up to 90 day’s worth of net import demand in case of a disruption. The country is building underground caverns capable of holding up to a quarter of its expanded strategic oil reserves by 2020, as it looks for new storage methods away from expensive and exposed above-ground tanks in crowded coastal regions.