February 10. Oil continues to break records

Oil continues to break records, reaching $61.50 a barrel. Brent rose in price for the ninth session in a row, WTI – for the eighth. The prices were supported by the forecast of the US Department of Energy, according to which in 2021 world oil demand will amount to 97.67 million barrels per day, and world supply – 97.29 million bpd.

As a result, this year the market may no longer face an excess, but a shortage of oil in the amount of 380 thousand bpd. In 2022, according to the estimates of the US Department of Energy, the oil supply deficit may increase to 400 thousand bpd.

Today, market participants are awaiting the publication of the US Department of Energy's report on energy reserves in the country. Yesterday, the American Petroleum Institute (API) announced a decline in oil reserves by 3.5 million barrels per week. Analysts expect the Energy Ministry data to show a 2.7 million barrels drop in US crude inventories.

An additional positive for the oil market is a slight improvement in the epidemiological situation in the world. Ongoing vaccinations, declining COVID-19 incidence, and expectations for a new stimulus package in the US are improving the outlook for demand.

February 16. Oil market dynamics

On Tuesday, the oil market demonstrates multidirectional dynamics: Brent quotes fluctuate in the range of $63-63.70 per barrel. The current price of the asset is $63.25.

Prices were supported by news that Texas oil companies are suspending operations due to the Arctic cold, which has led to power outages in many parts of the state. Analysts note that this factor could lead to a decrease in production by about 1 million barrels per day.

It should be noted that this almost completely neutralized the negative effect of the data on the number of drilling rigs in the United States. According to statistics from Baker Hughes, the number of active oil platforms has grown from 299 to 306, indicating a gradual recovery in the US oil sector.

Moreover, Brent is also being supported by an improvement in the epidemiological situation in the world amid the rapid spread of vaccines. This gives hope that new restrictions will be dispensed with this year.

Further dynamics of the oil market will depend on the behavior of the dollar. Now the US currency is declining across the entire spectrum of the market amid expectations of the final approval of the economic stimulus program from Joe Biden in the amount of $1.9 trillion.

February 18. The number of applications for unemployment benefits in the US rose worse than expected

According to the US Department of Labor, the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits for the week ended February 13, increased by 13 thousand compared with the revised figure of the previous week to 861 thousand applications.

At the same time, analysts were expecting a decrease in the indicator by 28 thousand – to 765 thousand. What is even worse – the indicators of the previous week were revised upward by more than 50 thousand to 848 thousand.

The number of secondary orders, which are counted one week behind the primary orders, also disappointed market participants. Secondary bids fell only slightly to 4.494 million from an upwardly revised 4.558 million. Analysts had expected 4.413 million.

February 22. Poland and Ukraine call on the US to «end» the construction of the Nord Stream-2

Foreign Ministers of Poland and Ukraine Zbigniew Rau and Dmitry Kuleba called on US President Joe Biden to «put an end» to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. In their note politicians advised Biden to use every means at his disposal to prevent the completion of the project.

Rau and Kuleba fear that Nord Stream-2 will further strengthen Russia's position in the situation with gas supplies to Europe. In addition, in their opinion, the project will convince Ukrainians that the West does not adhere to its own principles and does not care about the prosperity of Ukraine.

The ministers are convinced that Moscow was allowed to go too far in implementing the project, and Washington's position on this issue is very important.

The day before, Nord Stream, the operator of Nord Stream-2, asked the German regulator for «immediate execution» of permission to lay the pipeline in German waters. The fact is that in January, the environmental organization Deutschen Umwelthilfe, protested the previously issued permission to lay the pipe.

February 26. Germany has announced four options for the future «Nord Stream 2»

The German authorities have proposed four options for the future of the «Nord Stream 2» project in order to come to a compromise with the United States and «end the grueling showdown» around the pipeline.

The first course of action proposed by Berlin is the US refusal from threats of sanctions if the «danger» for Ukraine is removed or at least reduced. This option provides for the possibility of stopping gas supply in the event that Russia stops transportation through the territory of Ukraine.

Another option is to suspend the construction of the pipeline for the purpose of negotiations. The FRG authorities note that the United States can create a special commission with the participation of Europeans, whose task will be to develop specific solutions.

Germany sees the third decision to provide investment assistance to Ukraine, which will soften Washington's position. And the fourth scenario is the continuation of the construction of the gas pipeline in spite of all countermeasures to the project.

Let us remind you that «Nord Stream 2» is a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Now the facility is 95% ready, and the cost of its construction is estimated at $11 billion.

March 02. China's financial regulator announced a «bubble» in global stock markets

The China Banking and Insurance Supervision and Control Committee (CBIRC) said the rally in the US and other stock markets resembles a «bubble» and will eventually move to a correction. The head of the committee, Guo Shuqing, also noted that the American and European markets are moving in the opposite direction compared to the economy.

CBIRC comments did not support sentiment on the Hong Kong stock exchange, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.2% on Tuesday. Moreover, experts believe that such statements may create even greater concern about the further tightening of China's monetary policy.

The regulator also announced a «bubble» in the real estate market in China itself. This is because many people buy houses for investment or speculative purposes, which is «very dangerous.»

The economic recovery, a surge in lending and fears of missing out on buying a home have boosted demand for real estate in major Chinese cities. As a result, the authorities have retaliated, including a new mortgage lending facility. Despite this, housing prices in the secondary market, which is less regulated by the state, jumped in January to a maximum in a year and a half.

04.03. Construction of Nord Stream 2 postponed until September

The construction of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 was again postponed, this time for six months. Now, work on laying two lines of the gas pipeline in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark is going to be completed in September 2021, although the deadline was previously planned for the end of April.

Initially, the project was supposed to be completed at the end of 2019, however, the construction of the pipeline was prevented by sanctions from the United States, due to which European companies began to leave the project. Washington is hindering the construction of the facility, as American liquefied natural gas competes with Russian pipeline fuel for the European market.

As of early March, the pipeline is 98% ready, and its cost is estimated at $11 billion. Russia does not abandon plans to complete the construction of the facility, however, certification and insurance of the route still remain unresolved problems.

Also today it became known that the financial partner of the project, the German concern Uniper, announced that it would no longer finance the project. It is known that as of November, Uniper has allocated 700 million euros to finance the construction of the gas pipeline. Earlier, the completion of financing was also announced by the German oil and gas company Wintershall Dea.

March 8. US stock markets open in the red

Investors are encouraged today that the Senate passed President Joe Biden's $ 1.9 trillion stimulus bill this weekend. Minor amendments were made to the bill, reducing unemployment benefits from $ 400 to $ 300. He must now return to the House of Representatives, which will approve the revised version and finally unlock the funds.

The approval of the bill to stimulate the economy further contributed to the growth of US Treasury bonds, which, in turn, negatively affects the stock indices. The Nasdaq 100, S&P 500 and Dow Jones all started trading in the red today due to low investor interest in the stock at the moment.

Stocks in China are also declining in light of last week's announcement of a lower-than-expected growth outlook. This signals to the markets that the government may withdraw some stimulus from its economy to offset the growth in borrowing.

Oil prices continued to rise after OPEC + agreed not to increase its quotas in April last week. In addition, there has been an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, although the country has reported that production is unlikely to be affected. Nevertheless, oil managed to rise above $ 70 a barrel.

March 11. ECB kept monetary policy unchanged

A meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Central Bank (ECB) took place today, following which monetary policy remained unchanged. The base interest rate on loans was kept at zero.

The rate on deposits also remained at the same level – minus 0.5%, the rate on short-term loans from the ECB – at 0.25%. The regulator expects key interest rates to remain at or below current levels until the inflation forecast steadily approaches below 2%.

In addition, the central bank will continue the bond buyback program (PEPP) in connection with the pandemic totaling € 1.85 trillion. The reinvestment of the main payments on the securities purchased under the PEPP is planned to continue until at least the end of 2023.

The regulator will also continue the program of asset repurchase (APP) in the amount of € 20 billion monthly, as well as reinvestment of payments on securities purchased under this program.

The next meeting of the European Central Bank will be held on April 22.

March 15. Oil hits $70 maximum on strong data from China

Brent crude hit a high of $70 per barrel on Monday, boosted by data from China, which indicated a recovery in the economy, improving the outlook for demand from the world's largest oil importer. Activity in China's industrial and retail sectors surged in the first two months of 2021, exceeding analysts' expectations.

Additional support for the quotes of «black gold» was provided by the OPEC report published last Thursday, according to which world oil demand in 2021 will reach 96.3 million barrels per day. Now experts of the oil cartel expect an increase in world oil demand by 5.9 million barrels per day.

On the side of buyers, there is also general market optimism caused by new fiscal stimulus measures, worth $1.9 trillion, in the US, which were finally agreed at the end of last week. Market participants believe that the injection of such huge money into the economy will significantly accelerate the recovery of economic activity, which will have a favorable effect on the demand for energy resources.

However, Brent failed to gain a foothold in the area of highs. The current quotation of the commodity asset is $ 68.75 per barrel.

March 22. German economy falls due to antivirus restrictions

The Bundesbank said today that the German economy is likely to contract sharply in the first quarter of this year, as due to pandemic restrictions the service sector has suffered significantly and the development of the construction industry has slowed down. Experts point out that a hike in sales tax, which was temporarily cut last year, likely contributed to a significant reduction in construction volumes in January.

In its monthly report, the German central bank did not update its forecast for the spring economic recovery and dropped references to the coronavirus vaccination campaign, which was undermined by news of possible side effects. The authorities had previously expected the economy to recover in the spring thanks to a decrease in the incidence of coronavirus and mass vaccinations.

The regulator also noted that measures to contain the pandemic in the current quarter are on average more stringent than in the previous one, so a stronger decline in economic production can be expected. Industrial production also declined in the first month of the year, but orders were high and merchandise exports increased.