Coronavirus fatality rates are way down – why has the government not taken this on board? September 16, 2020 King Canute has had a bad press. The monarch sat on the beach on his throne with the deliberate intention of demonstrating to his courtiers that he could not stop the waves from coming in. But in popular thinking, he is the deranged king who believed he could control the sea. In this spirit, step [...]
Oil prices continue slump as prospects for recovery look slim April 15, 2020 Oil prices continued to fall today amid further signs that Opec’s record production cuts would not be sufficient to stabilize the oil market amid a coronavirus-driven recession. Benchmark Brent crude dropped over six per cent for the second consecutive day, falling to $27.50, while West Texas Intermediate fell below $20 to stand at $19.51. The [...]
Oil prices slip as Opec prepares to relax production curbs July 14, 2020 Global oil prices slid today amid growing concerns that producer cartel Opec would ease its record production curbs just as a rising number of coronavirus cases threatened to stall the reopening of the world’s economies. US standard West Texas Intermediate fell 0.8 per cent to $39.80, while worldwide benchmark Brent Crude dropped 0.4 per cent [...]
On coronavirus, governments have been the most irrational of us all September 9, 2020 Decisions, whether by individuals, companies or governments, are often made with imperfect and incomplete information. This is so obvious as to hardly seem worth stating. But for well over a century economic theory assumed that decisions were made with complete information. Economists knew full well that this was not always the case. The problem was [...]
Watch: Christian May discusses the problems with the CBILS scheme May 14, 2020 City A.M. editor Christian May has said UK SMEs are hitting a brick wall trying to access the Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme (CBILS), and warned there may be further trouble ahead. The CBILS scheme allows companies to apply for a loan through 60 accredited lenders to stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis. But issues with [...]
Oil slips as traders expect Opec+ to ease supply cuts July 13, 2020 Oil slipped nearly one per cent this morning as traders eyed an Opec technical meeting this week which is expected to recommend an easing in supply cuts that have been propping up crude prices. Brent crude fell 29 cents, or 0.7 per cent, to $42.95 a barrel by 5:10am GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate [...]
IEA: Opec cuts hit the spot as oil set to stabilise at $60 per barrel December 13, 2018 A cut in output from oil-producing cartel Opec will hit the spot as oil prices look set to stabilise at a floor of around $60 per barrel after a volatile year, the International Energy Agency said today. Prices hit a year high of $86 in early October as investors feared supplies would drop as the US [...]
Oil prices continue gains on signs demand starting to pick up April 30, 2020 Oil prices continued to pick up gains this morning due to the combination of signs that crude stocks are not growing as quickly as expected and that demand is slowly starting to pick up. After impressive gains yesterday, US standard West Texas Intermediate increased another 15 per cent to $17.22, buoyed by a smaller than [...]
Q&A: the end of big oil? June 16, 2021 Our “in the news” series focuses on recent dramatic events in the energy industry as oil majors were held to account over climate change. We explain what’s happened and how Schroders acted on behalf of clients. The oil industry last week faced a “paradigm shift” after climate activists and asset managers led revolts at the [...]
No end in sight for US shale boom November 13, 2019 The US shale boom is set to continue, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2019, with output set to stay higher for longer than previously predicted. Although the rate of production will slip from the rapid expansion of recent years, the report predicts that the US will account for 85 per [...]