Oil rockets from 12-year low on renewed talk of OPEC cut

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iconOEF REVIEW:The United Arab Emirates’ energy minister has said that OPEC was willing to cooperate on an output cut. Many traders were skeptical noting that Venezuela and Russia had tried in vain to stir Saudi Arabia and other major producers into agreeing to cuts, but after a price slump that has taken crude prices to more than 12-year lows, many of these traders were inclined to believe that a rebound was due sooner or later. “We expect declining U.S. oil production, in particular, to drive the oil price back up to $50 per barrel by the end of the year,” Frankfurt-based Commerzbank said in a note.

Venezuela expanding military influence over oil and mining

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iconOEF REVIEW:Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro moved to increase the military’s involvement in the country’s oil and mining industries with the creation of a new state company that will report to the Defense Ministry. The military company, “Camimpeg”, was authorized to participate in a range of oil services and mining activities including the maintenance of wells and drilling rigs, transport and the commercialization of chemicals.