Oil set for sweet-sour rebalancing
The unusual premiums sour grades have enjoyed over sweet may be coming to an end
An imbalance in sweet-sour crude supply has been a key feature of the oil market since 2017. But fundamentals and price spreads suggest the historically elevated value sour grades have held relative to sweet may finally get eroded. The altered sweet-sour dynamic over the last three years or more has been driven not only by Opec+ cuts and US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, reducing the availability of sour grades, but also the growth of US shale, boosting supply of sweeter barrels—and transforming the quality of the marginal barrel entering the market. This imbalance has impacted trade flows, with growing US exports to Europe and Asia. And it has also disrupted price differentials, including
Also in this section
10 December 2024
Sector at economic and strategic crossroads, but clear path ahead for midstream additions
30 November 2024
Decades of turmoil have left Iraq’s vast energy potential underutilised, but renewed investment and strategic reforms are transforming it into a key player in the region
29 November 2024
The country's fifth and sixth oil and gas bid rounds have attracted a range of new players with gas as well as oil ambitions—and there’s a seismic shift in the contracting process
28 November 2024
Iraq is charting a new path for its indigenous resources and its youth, hoping to electrify the future with a mix of reforms and modernisation to fuel growth
