STO

Book keeping changes: Statoil (STO) changes its name and ticker to Equinor (EQNR)

Israel’s Prime Minister announces major statement Monday night on Iranian nuclear program

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he will make a statement at 8 p.m. Tel Aviv time tonight on a “significant development” regarding the Iranian nuclear pact. (8 p.m. in Tel Aviv is 1 p.m. in New York.) Israeli news sources are saying that the government has obtained documents that government sources say prove Iran has misled the world about its nuclear program.

Oil continues to move higher on Middle East fears

Oil continues to move higher on Middle East fears

Oil futures in New York settled at their highest since December 2014. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate climbed 0.35% to close at $68.88 a barrel. International benchmark Brent crude rose 0.88% to $74.71 a barrel. The gains were unusual in that the U.S. dollar strengthened today. But the markets had news of another missile attack on Saudi Arabia–again unsuccessful–by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Houthis are backed by Iran and Yemen has become a proxy war for power in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia (and by extension, Russia and the United States.)

Oil prices up again on inventories, Middle East fears, OPEC price goals

Oil prices up again on inventories, Middle East fears, OPEC price goals

West Texas Intermediate climbed 3.16% today to $68.80. Futures for May delivery moved over $68 a barrel for the first time in three years. Yesterday the American Petroleum Institute reported a 1.05 million barrel draw down in U.S. inventories. Today the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a drop in crude inventories of 1.1 million barrels. Energy analysts had projected an increase in inventories for the week ended April 13. But it’s not just near-term supply and demand figures that are pushing oil priced higher.

Sector Monday: Norway’s wealth fund moves to get out of oil–should you follow? My five rules for thinking about investing in oil and natural gas now.

Sector Monday: Norway’s wealth fund moves to get out of oil–should you follow? My five rules for thinking about investing in oil and natural gas now.

Norges Bank Investment Management, the entity that runs Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, has recommended that the fund, which invests the country’s take from oil and gas revenue from production from its own reserves, sell off its shares in oil and gas stocks. The fund owns $35 billion in oil and gas shares. Should you follow suit?