W***n
发帖数: 11530 | 1 OPEC is at war - and it's sending shockwaves around the world
By Matt Egan @mattmegan5
Crude truth behind oil's global boom
OPEC is broken.
Oil prices fell below $40 a barrel on Friday after a 7-hour OPEC meeting in
Vienna highlighted the deep divide within the cartel.
OPEC surprised observers by failing to agree on an official output quota,
leaving production near record highs despite the massive glut keeping prices
low.
"The cartel is basically broken," said Matthew Smith, director of commodity
research at ClipperData, which tracks global crude shipments.
Here's how the OPEC dissension is impacting the rest of the world:
Non-Gulf OPEC countries are getting crushed
The Saudis are hell bent on continuing robust output to crowd out higher-
cost producers in the U.S. and elsewhere. As of Friday, OPEC's output is
effectively unchanged at near-record high levels.
Saudi Arabia was joined by a powerful group of affluent Gulf states,
including Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Less-affluent OPEC members, desperate to lift oil prices stuck at $40 a
barrel, had been begging for an output cut. These dissenters include Algeria
, Angola, Nigeria and Venezuela, which warns oil could sink to $30 a barrel
if OPEC doesn't act.
Saudi Arabia is running low on cash
Even the mighty Saudis are hurting financially from cheap oil, despite the
fact that their production costs are among the lowest on the planet.
That's because the Saudis are spending heavily at home and on their military
. The kingdom's budget needs higher oil prices. Without it, the Saudis could
run out of cash in five years, the IMF recently warned.
Iran's parade is being rained on
One hidden motivation behind the Saudis' strategy is a desire to punish Iran
. Sanctions that have ravaged Iran's economy could be lifted soon, but the
oil-rich country will have to contend with extremely low oil prices.
U.S. oil jobs are disappearing
Cheap oil might great for most Americans, but it's also killing jobs in the
once-booming energy sector. That's especially true in oil-centric states
like Texas and North Dakota.
The mining sector, which includes oil and energy companies, has shed 123,000
jobs since the end of 2014, according to government stats. Other energy
workers have been forced to take painful pay cuts.
Energy stocks are crumbling
Your retirement account is taking a hit due to the oil plunge. Big Oil
stocks like ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX) and ConocoPhillips (COP) have
all taken dramatic tumbles.
The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) has lost a
stunning 60% of its value since hitting an all-time high in June 2014.
America's oil boom is showing cracks
U.S. oil production has been resilient in the face of cheap oil, with output
remaining near all-time highs. It's a testament to the technological
innovations made by the shale oil boom.
However, domestic oil output has retreated a bit in recent months and
forecasters believe that trend will continue next year, as evidenced by
plunging drilling rig counts.
More oil defaults loom
U.S. energy companies that piled on debt during $100 oil are now having
trouble paying their loans. It's the main reason why 2015 global corporate
defaults recently hit the highest level since the end of the Great Recession
six years ago.
But...$2 gas is coming
American drivers are the clear winners in the oil crash. The average price
of a gallon of gasoline is selling for $2.05 in the U.S., down from $2.75 a
year ago, according to AAA. And OPEC's refusal to cut output only adds to
the downward momentum. | l*****e
发帖数: 3343 | 2 sure
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【在 W***n 的大作中提到】
: OPEC is at war - and it's sending shockwaves around the world
: By Matt Egan @mattmegan5
: Crude truth behind oil's global boom
: OPEC is broken.
: Oil prices fell below $40 a barrel on Friday after a 7-hour OPEC meeting in
: Vienna highlighted the deep divide within the cartel.
: OPEC surprised observers by failing to agree on an official output quota,
: leaving production near record highs despite the massive glut keeping prices
: low.
: "The cartel is basically broken," said Matthew Smith, director of commodity
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