Business
China’s Unipec boosts Oman crude sales, caps oil prices despite Saudi cuts
China’s Unipec, the trading arm of top Asian refiner Sinopec (600028.SS), has emerged as a major seller of August-loading Oman crude this month, a move that has helped to cap benchmark prices despite Saudi Arabia’s plans to cut output next month.
Unipec, according to trade sources and data collated by Reuters, has sold 8 million barrels of Oman crude since the start of June on S&P Global’s trading platform, also known as the Platts window and used to assess the Dubai price, benchmark for millions of barrels exported from the Middle East.
It was not immediately clear why Unipec was selling large volumes of Oman crude. Traders and analysts said tepid fuel demand from a slower-than-expected economic recovery has squeezed refining margins in China; plus Unipec and other Chinese refiners have been bringing in more barrels from Russia, West Africa, the United States and Brazil.
Sinopec did not respond to a request for more detail on the sales or the reasons behind them.
Unipec sold the Oman cargoes to Totsa, the trading arm of TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), PetroChina Hong Kong, Shell (SHEL.L) and Trafigura (TRAFGF.UL), the data collated by Reuters showed.
The unusually large Oman crude sales began on June 1, traders said, just ahead of Saudi Arabia’s surprise June 4 move to cut July output by 1 million barrels per day and as the world’s biggest producer raised its official selling prices.
The trades helped cap spot premiums of benchmark Dubai prices to under $1 a barrel for most of June, Reuters data showed, despite the prospect of tighter Saudi supplies.
Unipec made no such sales in May, and in the last year, it has typically sold less than 2.5 million barrels of Middle Eastern crude over the Platts window each month.
The sales have occurred as June crude deliveries to China are forecast to rise after hitting the third-highest monthly level in May, data from analytics firms Kpler and Vortexa showed.
In addition to a huge influx of Russian oil into China, June imports of U.S. crude are set to hit a record high of 30 million barrels, while more than 32 million barrels of West African crude will reach China, the Kpler and Vortexa data showed.
Unipec in recent months has been among those boosting oil purchases from West Africa, the U.S. and Brazil, traders said.
Strong crude imports and refinery maintenance in the second quarter have also boosted China’s commercial crude inventory to 962 million barrels, the highest since end-2020, said Emma Li, an analyst from data analytic firm Vortexa.
Some 1.22 million barrels-per-day of refining capacity in China were shut for maintenance in May, according to a Reuters calculation. And Chinese state refiners lowered operating rates to about 76% in May from about 77% in April, according to data compiled by Longzhong consultancy.
The run cuts come as China’s refining margins were assessed at about 461 yuan ($64.53) a tonne in May, down 45% from April, Longzhong data showed.
In contrast, the data also showed, margins at independent refineries known as teapots in the oil hub of Shandong province were around 1,136 yuan a tonne as they binged on cheap oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
Business
Dollar treads water as Trump tariff clarity, central banks awaited
The dollar steadied against major peers on Thursday, continuing its near paralysis of the past two days before more concrete announcements on tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.
A spate of central bank policy decisions are also due over the next week, with the Bank of Japan widely expected to raise interest rates at the end of a two-day meeting on Friday.
Rate decisions from the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of next week, respectively.
The dollar index – which measures the currency versus six top rivals, including the euro and yen – was flat at 108.25, following two days of gains of around 0.1%.
On Monday, it tumbled 1.2%, its steepest one-day slide since November 2023, as Trump’s first day in office brought a barrage of executive orders, but none on tariffs.
So far this week, Trump has mooted levies of around 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China from Feb. 1. He also promised duties on European imports, without giving details.
“President Trump has so far taken a less hostile-than-expected approach to China,” amid overall “softer-than-expected policies and tone on tariffs”, said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
At the same time, “we are cautious (that) risk sentiment remains fragile and can quickly turn sour if President Trump strikes a more aggressive tone.”
The Chinese yuan was little changed at 7.2812 per dollar in offshore trading .
Wall Street’s main indexes rose Wednesday, with the S&P 500 hitting an intraday record high thanks to strong Netflix earnings and a rally in tech shares.
Japan’s yen edged up about 0.1% to 156.40 with markets pricing 95% odds of a quarter-point hike on Friday.
The euro was flat at $1.0411. The ECB is widely expected to cut rates by a quarter point next week.
The Canadian dollar held steady at C$1.4386 against the greenback. The Bank of Canada is seen as likely to reduce rates by a quarter point next Wednesday.
The Mexican peso was little changed at 20.47 versus the U.S. currency.
Business
Oil prices extend losses amid uncertainty over tariff impact
Oil prices dipped in early trade on Thursday, extending losses amid uncertainty over how proposed tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on several countries would impact global economic growth and energy demand.
Brent crude futures fell 23 cents, or 0.3%, to $78.79 a barrel at 0135 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) eased 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $75.26.
In its previous session, Brent futures settled at $79.00 in a fifth straight day of losses. WTI futures settled at $75.44 in a fourth consecutive day of declines.
Trump has said he would add new tariffs to his sanctions threat against Russia if the country does not make a deal to end its war in Ukraine. He added these could be applied to “other participating countries” as well.
He also vowed to hit the European Union with tariffs, impose 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico, and said his administration was discussing a 10% punitive duty on China because fentanyl is being sent to the U.S. from there.
Meanwhile, estimates from an extended Reuters poll showed that on average U.S. crude oil stockpiles were expected to have fallen by 1.6 million barrels in the week to Jan. 17.
Gasoline stockpiles were estimated to have risen by 2.3 million barrels last week, and distillate inventories were likely to have gained 300,000 barrels.
The poll was conducted ahead of the American Petroleum Institute industry group’s report and another from the Energy Information Administration at 12:00 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) on Thursday.
European wind shares fell on Tuesday (January 21).
The reports were delayed by a day due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday on Monday.
Business
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia reaffirm commitment to boost economic ties
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral economic ties for shared prosperity.
The commitment was expressed when Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with his Saudi counterpart Mohammad bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan on the sidelines of World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.
Muhammad Aurangzeb highlighted the key reform measures undertaken by the Government to promote economic stability and sustainable growth.
He briefed him on structural reforms, fiscal discipline and regulatory improvements that have contributed to an improved investment climate in Pakistan.
Earlier, Aurangzeb met Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank.
They discussed cooperation between Pakistan and the World Bank, with a particular focus on Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability.
The finance minister emphasized the government’s strong partnership with the Bank and expressed hope that the World Bank would continue playing a key role in the country’s socio-economic development.
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