Saudi Aramco CEO: I am concerned about elevated risks that people are facing in region
The President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, Amin H. Nasser, said on Tuesday that he is concerned about the elevated risks that people are facing in the region. He added that the company are doing its best to meet the majority of our customers' requirements under the current circumstances.
Key quotes
I am concerned about the elevated risks that people are facing in the region.
Aramco has contingency plans in place for various scenarios to ensure we continue to deliver to our customers.
We delivered four upstream projects, including Berri, Marjan, and Jafurah Phase 1.
Spare oil output capacity is mostly concerntrated in this region, so shipping resuming in the Strait of Hormuz is absolutely critical.
With current geopolitical crisis, global inventories already at a five-year low, we will see faster drawdowns.
There would be catastrophic consequences for the world’s oil markets the longer the disruption goes on and the more drastic the consequences for the global economy.
We are doing our best to meet the majority of our customers' requirements under the current circumstances.
WTI Oil FAQs
WTI Oil is a type of Crude Oil sold on international markets. The WTI stands for West Texas Intermediate, one of three major types including Brent and Dubai Crude. WTI is also referred to as “light” and “sweet” because of its relatively low gravity and sulfur content respectively. It is considered a high quality Oil that is easily refined. It is sourced in the United States and distributed via the Cushing hub, which is considered “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. It is a benchmark for the Oil market and WTI price is frequently quoted in the media.
Like all assets, supply and demand are the key drivers of WTI Oil price. As such, global growth can be a driver of increased demand and vice versa for weak global growth. Political instability, wars, and sanctions can disrupt supply and impact prices. The decisions of OPEC, a group of major Oil-producing countries, is another key driver of price. The value of the US Dollar influences the price of WTI Crude Oil, since Oil is predominantly traded in US Dollars, thus a weaker US Dollar can make Oil more affordable and vice versa.
The weekly Oil inventory reports published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Agency (EIA) impact the price of WTI Oil. Changes in inventories reflect fluctuating supply and demand. If the data shows a drop in inventories it can indicate increased demand, pushing up Oil price. Higher inventories can reflect increased supply, pushing down prices. API’s report is published every Tuesday and EIA’s the day after. Their results are usually similar, falling within 1% of each other 75% of the time. The EIA data is considered more reliable, since it is a government agency.
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a group of 12 Oil-producing nations who collectively decide production quotas for member countries at twice-yearly meetings. Their decisions often impact WTI Oil prices. When OPEC decides to lower quotas, it can tighten supply, pushing up Oil prices. When OPEC increases production, it has the opposite effect. OPEC+ refers to an expanded group that includes ten extra non-OPEC members, the most notable of which is Russia.