11 December 2014
Oil markets are dangerously rebalancing as prices fall
Cheap oil will be a boon for consumers, but carries long-term risks too
The bonanza years for oil producers are over. The fall in oil prices since the summer shows no sign yet of stopping. Industry veterans talk darkly of a return to the barren years of 1990s or the glut of the 1980s. Pessimism is spreading across the sector. As Petroleum Economist went to press, the front-month Brent contract was selling for around $65 a barrel and WTI for $62/b. Wall Street price forecasts for 2015 are being rewritten daily. The market has further to fall. Prices may not drop as dramatically, or land as low, as they did in the second half of 2008. But there are few indications that once Brent has bottomed, probably sometime next spring, perhaps in the $50s, it will enjoy the k
Also in this section
20 February 2026
The country is pushing to increase production and expand key projects despite challenges including OPEC+ discipline and the limitations of its export infrastructure
20 February 2026
Europe has transformed into a global LNG demand powerhouse over the last few years, with the fuel continuing to play a key role in safeguarding the continent’s energy security, Carsten Poppinga, chief commercial officer at Uniper, tells Petroleum Economist
20 February 2026
Sempra Infrastructure’s vice president for marketing and commercial development, Carlos de la Vega, outlines progress across the company’s US Gulf Coast and Mexico Pacific Coast LNG portfolio, including construction at Port Arthur LNG, continued strong performance at Cameron LNG and development of ECA LNG
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
