KUALA LUMPUR (March 11): Petroliam Nasional Bhd's (Petronas) Suriname-based unit has tapped geodata specialist Fugro to conduct a seep survey and geochemical campaign. In a statement yesterday, Fugro said it is conducting a seep served and geochemical camping in Block 48, which is located offshore Suriname for Petronas Suriname E&P BV (PSEPBV). Fugro said the work for PSEPBV is being conducted from survey vessel MV Fugro Brasilis, and involves geophysical data collection, heat flow measurements, core sampling and on-board geochemical analysis, which aim to optimise future exploration activities in this frontier area. The fieldwork for the job will run through the first quarter of 2021 (1Q21), with subsequent geochemical analysis and final reports delivered in May 2021, noted the statement. Fugro director for the Caribbean and Pacific South America Brian Hottman said the Suriname-Guyana basin is shaping up to be a world-class petroleum system. The Suriname-Guyana basin is shaping up to be a world-class petroleum system, and PSEPBV is poised to be a major player in this region as demonstrated by their successful results from the Sloanea-1 exploration well located in Block 52. We look forward to supporting their continued success in the region by defining high-potential areas within Block 48, and helping develop Suriname’s vital resources in a safe and responsible manner,” Hottman said.
Covid vaccinations hit another record, average now above 3 million daily
(PUBLISHED SAT, APR 3 20215:45 PM EDT)
~ The U.S. is now administering more than 3 million new Covid vaccine shots daily, based on a seven-day average of CDC data.
~ On Saturday, the public-health agency reported a record 4.1 million new doses were given.
The U.S. reported on Saturday another daily record of new Covid vaccine doses administered, pushing the weekly average of new shots per day above 3 million, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The public-health agency on Saturday reported 4.1 million new doses were given, the highest daily mark since the Food and Drug Administration cleared vaccines for emergency use late last year.
About 104.2 million U.S. residents, or 31% of the population, have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the CDC, while 59.9 million people, or 18% of the population, are fully vaccinated. Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines require two doses for full immunity protection; Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which received limited clearance in late February, is a single-shot regime.
Three-quarters of U.S. residents who are age 65 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, CDC data shows, providing crucial protection against the disease to a vulnerable group of Americans. As of March 31, nearly 81% of the country’s Covid deaths have occurred in people age 65 and up.
The rise in daily vaccine doses administered comes as available supply increases and eligibility is expanded across the nation. In states such as Texas, Kansas and Ohio, all residents age 16 and older are now able to get the vaccine.
The vaccine milestone Saturday arrives against a somewhat mixed picture for coronavirus cases and deaths in the past week. The country’s seven-day average of new daily infections sits at 64,617, up 6% compared with a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Cases are growing in 26 states, plus Washington D.C., CNBC’s analysis shows.
However, the U.S. weekly average of new deaths per day is down 12% to 847.
President Joe Biden has urged the country to continue remaining vigilant around coronavirus spread despite significant progress on the vaccine rollout. “Too many Americans are acting as if this fight is over,” Biden said Friday. “It is not.”
Also on Friday, the CDC said people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid can travel at “low risk to themselves,” while still stressing the need to wear a mask and maintain physical distance.
“We continue to encourage every American to get vaccinated as soon as it’s their turn, so we can begin to safely take steps back to our everyday lives,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement that accompanied the guidance change. “Vaccines can help us return to the things we love about life, so we encourage every American to get vaccinated as soon as they have the opportunity.”
U.S. says 165 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine been administered so far
(April 5, 20212:17 AMUpdated 6 hours ago)
(Reuters) - The United States has administered more than 165 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Sunday morning and distributed nearly 208 million, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Sunday.
That is up from the 161,688,422 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Saturday out of 207,866,645 doses delivered.
The agency said 106,214,924 people had received at least one vaccine dose, while 61,416,536 people have been fully vaccinated as of Sunday.
The CDC tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna Inc and Pfizer/BioNTech,, as well Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Sunday.
A total of 7,742,126 vaccine doses have been administered in long-term care facilities, the agency said.
U.S. stocks climbed to record highs on Monday as a strong bounce in U.S. job growth and solid data in the services sector raised expectations for a swift economic recovery from the pandemic.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 373.98 points to 33,527.19, a record closing high. The S&P 500 gained 1.4% to 4,077.91, also hitting a new record close. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also climbed 1.7% to 13,705.59.
The Labor Department reported Friday that nonfarm payrolls increased by 916,000 in March, the highest since August 2020, while the unemployment rate fell to 6%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were expecting an increase of 675,000 and a jobless rate of 6%.
Meanwhile, a measure of U.S. services industry activity soared to a record high in March. The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing activity index jumped to a reading of 63.7 last month, the highest level in the survey’s history.
“A ‘Capital V’ recovery that is in the early innings,” said Tony Dwyer, Canaccord Genuity’s chief market strategist. “The only thing that could stand in the way would be another shutdown of the economy to contain new Covid-19 strains or a policy mistake by the Fed. Neither appear imminent.”
Tesla shares popped more than 4% as the electric vehicle company reported production and delivery figures that broadly beat expectations.
GameStop shares cut their double-digit losses and closed down about 2% after the video game retailer said it may sell up to $1 billion worth of stock.
Classic reopening plays like airlines and cruise operators outperformed. Delta Airlines and United jumped more than 2% each, while Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line gained 4.7% and 7.2%, respectively.
Bond yields, whose sudden advance spooked some investors in recent weeks, continued to ease. The 10-year Treasury yield fell slightly to 1.71% on Monday.
“We expect equities and other risk assets to be supported by the new nominal — a more muted response of government yields to stronger growth and higher inflation than in the past as central banks lean against any sharp yield rises,” Wei Li, global chief investment strategist at BlackRock, said in a note.
The stock market is building on its recent strength after President Joe Biden introduced his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure proposal, which focuses on rebuilding roads, bridges and airports, expanding broadband access and boosting electric vehicle use and updating the country’s electric grid. The plan will be funded partly by a hike in the corporate tax rate to 28%.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monday pushed for a global minimum corporate tax in an effort to keep companies from relocating to find lower rates.
However, Biden’s plan faces opposition among Republicans as the $2 trillion plan includes initiatives that they say extend beyond traditional infrastructure issues.
Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri on Sunday urged the Biden administration to pare back the package to roughly $615 billion and concentrate on physical infrastructure such as roads and airports.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said last week that Biden’s plan would not receive Republican support and vowed to oppose the broader Democratic agenda.
On the pandemic front, the U.S. reported another daily record of new Covid vaccinations Saturday, pushing the weekly average of new shots per day above 3 million.
IMF increases global growth forecast and says a way out of the crisis is ‘increasingly visible’
(PUBLISHED TUE, APR 6 20218:31 AM EDTUPDATED TUE, APR 6 20218:38 AM EDT)
~ The latest round of fiscal stimulus in the U.S. along with the vaccine rollouts across the world have made the Fund more confident about the global economy this year.
~ The latest forecasts suggest the United States is well placed to experience a solid economic recovery in 2021, in contrast to what’s expected for most of the world, where many economies are likely to take longer to return to their pre-crisis levels.
LONDON — The International Monetary Fund is now expecting a stronger economic recovery in 2021 as Covid-19 vaccine rollouts get underway, but it warns of “daunting challenges” given the different rates of administering shots across the globe.
On Tuesday the group said it expects the world economy to grow by 6% in 2021, up from its 5.5% forecast in January.
Looking further ahead, global GDP (gross domestic product) for 2022 is seen increasing by 4.4%, higher than an earlier estimate of 4.2%.
“Even with high uncertainty about the path of the pandemic, a way out of this health and economic crisis is increasingly visible,” Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s chief economist, said in the latest World Economic Outlook report.
The latest round of fiscal stimulus in the U.S., along with the vaccine rollouts across the world, have made the fund more confident about the global economy this year.
“Nonetheless, the outlook presents daunting challenges related to divergences in the speed of recovery both across and within countries and the potential for persistent economic damage from the crisis,” Gopinath also said.
The IMF estimated a 5.1% GDP rate for advanced economies this year, with the United States growing at a pace of 6.4% in 2021.
Meanwhile, the forecast for emerging and developing economies is 6.7% in 2021, with India expected to grow as much as 12.5%.
“Within-country income inequality will likely increase because young workers and those with relatively lower skills remain more heavily affected in not only advanced but also emerging markets and developing economies,” Gita warned, while also adding that lower levels of female employment is exacerbating disparities too.
As a result, the IMF said that governments should continue to focus on “escaping the crisis” by providing fiscal support, including to their healthcare systems. In a second phase, “policymakers will need to limit long-term economic scarring” from the crisis and boost public investment, for instance.
“Without additional efforts to give all people a fair shot, cross-country gaps in living standards could widen significantly, and decades-long trends of global poverty reduction could reverse,” Gopinath warned.
Recovery in the U.S.
The latest forecasts suggest the United States is well placed to experience a solid economic recovery in 2021, in contrast to what’s expected for most of the world, where many economies are likely to take longer to return to their pre-crisis levels.
The positive assessment for the U.S. is highly driven by President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, which entered into force last month.
As such, unemployment in the United States is expected to fall from 8.1% in 2020 to 5.8% this year and then again to 4.1% in 2022, according to the latest IMF projections.
Back in February, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. could return to full employment in 2022. “There’s absolutely no reason why we should suffer through a long slow recovery,” she told CNN at the time.
The IMF’s latest forecasts confirm that the U.S. is on track to not only return but surpass its pre-Covid levels this year.
“Among advanced economies, the United States is expected to surpass its pre-Covid GDP level this year, while many others in the group will return to their pre-COVID levels only in 2022,” Gita said.
JPMorgan’s Dimon Says ‘This Boom Could Easily Run Into 2023’
(April 7, 2021, 6:10 PM GMT+8Updated on April 7, 2021, 9:39 PM GMT+8)
Jamie Dimon said he’s optimistic the pandemic will end with a U.S. economic rebound that could last at least two years.
“I have little doubt that with excess savings, new stimulus savings, huge deficit spending, more QE, a new potential infrastructure bill, a successful vaccine and euphoria around the end of the pandemic, the U.S. economy will likely boom,” the JPMorgan Chase & Co. chief executive officer said Wednesday in his annual letter to shareholders. “This boom could easily run into 2023.”
Unprecedented federal rescue programs have blunted unemployment and averted further economic deterioration, according to Dimon, who said banks entered the crisis strong and able to help communities weather the storm. While lenders also benefited from U.S. stimulus, they built up buffers against future loan losses and performed well in stress tests, he said.
Dimon also pointed to U.S. consumers, who used stimulus checks to reduce debt to the lowest level in 40 years and stashed them in savings, giving them -- like corporations -- an “extraordinary” amount of spending power once lockdowns end. The latest round of quantitative easing measures will have created more than $3 trillion in deposits at U.S. banks, a portion of which can be lent out, he said.
It could all add up to a Goldilocks moment, according to Dimon, where growth is fast and sustained while inflation ticks up gently. Threats to that outcome include virus variants and a rapid or sustained jump in inflation that prompts rates to rise sooner.
At 65, Dimon is the most prominent executive in global banking, serving as a spokesman for the industry while leading a titan of both Wall Street and consumer lending. He’s run the company since the end of 2005, and is the only CEO still at the helm after steering a major bank through the financial crisis.
The 65-page letter (plus a page of footnotes) is Dimon’s longest yet, following last year’s abbreviated one that came less than a week after he returned to work from emergency heart surgery. As always, it is wide-ranging, touching on topics from financial regulation to China to inequality and institutional racism.
Malaysia launches 10-year blueprint to revive oil and gas sector Demand for energy and transportation tanked during the pandemic.
Shannon Teoh Malaysia Bureau Chief PUBLISHED1 HOUR AGO FACEBOOKTWITTER KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is seeking to rescue its ailing oil and gas ecosystem with an ambitious 10-year plan after fuel prices were battered last year by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Oil & Gas Services and Equipment (OGSE) Industry Blueprint 2021-2030 comes after nearly two-thirds of over 4,000 vendors fell off the radar, victims of a "double whammy".
Demand for energy and transportation tanked during the pandemic and this came on top of the rout in oil markets between 2014 and 2016.
State oil giant Petronas was forced to slash a third of its initial RM50 billion (S$16.2 billion) capital expenditure budget for 2020, most of which was dedicated to the domestic market. Last year, crude oil prices averaged about US$40 per barrel, down from over US$60 the year before.
Local OGSE players' reliance on Petronas - a key problem the blueprint will try to address - meant that over 700 companies went dormant last year, leaving just 1,563 players in the field.
Oil and gas have been a crucial plank of both the Malaysian economy and government revenue, making up to a fifth of the country's pre-Covid-19 gross domestic product. The supporting OGSE sector, which accounted for nearly half of that contribution, has lagged in adopting new technologies and inefficient businesses suffered during last year's crash.
"It is hoped that this blueprint will result in them scaling up the operations. We want them to go overseas as well. By merging with each other... they can do more research and development... You need to be on the ball in terms of the latest technology," Economic Planning Minister Mustapa Mohamed told reporters after Tuesday's (April 27) launch.
The blueprint outlines incentives for mergers, consortium-building and technology adoption, alongside an RM25 million OGSE Development Grant to help smaller firms commercialise innovative solutions.
Malaysia's OGSE sector generates about US$16.4 billion (S$21.7 billion) in revenue annually, with less than a third coming from exports.
This compares unfavourably with Norway - which Malaysian Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC), the lead agency tasked with developing the OGSE landscape, calls the "gold standard" - as well as the United Kingdom.
Both countries in Europe reap over US$35 billion a year from a less fragmented industry of just 1,200 firms each. Norway's OGSE sector also filed 960 patents in the last five years, and the UK had 381, compared with a paltry 36 for Malaysia.
Among the blueprint's targets are to see the OGSE sector contribute up to RM50 billion to Malaysia's GDP by the end of the decade, up from RM21 billion last year, and provide 60,000 highly-skilled jobs, 1,000 more than the existing largely semi-skilled workforce. In line with long-term plans for Petronas to increasingly expand its footprint internationally, OGSE players will also be expected to derive half of their revenue overseas, similar to their Norwegian counterparts currently.
Another crucial push will be to diversify revenue streams, with a quarter of billings by 2030 to come from outside oil and gas. MPRC chief executive Yazid Ja'afar pointed to "adjacent" industries such as renewable energy, where public-listed Eversendai Corp has bagged several offshore wind deals.
Datuk Seri Mustapa said it was imperative that OGSE players create low-carbon solutions with the ongoing push to "decarbonise" receiving a boost from the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted by United States President Joe Biden last week.
"We are encouraging the industry to explore the ESG (environmental, social and governance) element," Mr Yazid told a press conference. "Once you comply with the requirements, you will open up a whole world of US$59 trillion (of investment funds) by 2025."
Oil Prices Climb As OPEC+ Holds Firm On Output Cuts By Tsvetana Paraskova - Apr 27, 2021, 9:00 AM CDT The OPEC+ group will not hold a full ministerial meeting on Wednesday as planned, delegates at the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) agreed at their meeting on Tuesday, signaling confidence in the current plans to ease the production cuts as of May despite surging COVID cases in major oil importer India.
Oil prices rose on Tuesday morning on the news coming out of Vienna that shows OPEC+ believes the market will be able to accommodate the higher oil supply as of May 1, despite the worsening of the COVID situation in the world’s third-largest oil importer India.
hidden gem , high dividend, today closing rm16 ( after deduct the rm 160 dividend today ), the fair value in 2021 will be rm 20, think about that ......
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....
masterus
3,520 posts
Posted by masterus > 2021-02-25 11:16 | Report Abuse
Brent crude oil price hit $67 per barrel.
WTI crude oil price @ $63 per barrel