Greece isn’t hitting crude on a standalone basis

Now how many times have we been here in recent times when yet another week begins with market chatter about Eurozone contagion and Greece weighing on the price of Black Gold? Quite frankly it is now getting excruciatingly painful – the chatter that is! The linkage between the abysmal state of affairs in Greece and lower crude prices is neither simple nor linear and a tad overblown from a global standpoint.

Bearish trends are being noted owing to an accumulation of macro factors. Worries about state of the US economy, should lead and actually led the bearish way not Greece. Nonetheless, since Greece’s economic woes have become the poster children of wider problems in the Eurozone for a while now, concerns about its economy never fail to dampen intraday trade on a Monday.

Sucden Financial Research’s Myrto Sokou notes that crude oil prices have started the week on a negative side, as weaker global equity markets and persistent concerns about Greek debt crisis weighed heavily on market sentiment and prompted investors to lock in recent profits. WTI crude oil slid lower 1% toward US$87 per barrel, while Brent oil contract retreated to retest the US$111 per barrel area.

Simply put, European leaders’ decision to delay the Greek tranche payment and EFSF expansion decisions until October, has hit futures trading this side of the Atlantic. Additionally, in the absence of major economic indicators this week, Sokou notes that investors will now be watching for currency movements that could give some direction to the energy market. In any case, investors are being cautious ahead of the two-day US FOMC meeting which concludes on Wednesday.

This week comes on the back of Société Générale’s research published last week which suggested a meaningful slide in oil prices should begin in the next 30-45 days. It is worth rewinding to last Christmas when a stunted recovery was taking hold and people were forecasting oil prices in the circa of US$120 per barrel for 2012. Here’s an example of a JP Morgan research note to clients from December 2010. This not to say that a US$120 price is not achievable – but the last six weeks of ‘over’ listening (or not) to the Greeks’ problems, economic stagnation in the US and even declining consumption forecasts for Asian markets has seen most analysts revise their 2012 forecasts down by almost US$10 per barrel on average.

OPEC Secretary General Abdalla Salem el-Badri certainly thinks there isn’t one economic woe without the other – not just Greece! Speaking at a forum, el-Badri noted that global demand for oil was seen rising at a level which was below expectations. He attributed this to fiscal woes in Europe (sigh!), high unemployment in the US and possible Chinese government action to prevent overheating of their economy.

El-Badri, a Libyan himself, also expressed hope that Libyan production would rise by 500,000 to 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) sometime in the near future. Club all bearish sentiments together, and even the OPEC secretary general is surprised that there has not been an even greater price correction in the crude markets.

Moving away from pricing, two noteworthy corporate stories these past few days have come from the US and Falkland Islands. On September 12, French engineering firm Technip announced its intention to acquire 100% of shares of US-based subsea company Global Industries Ltd. for a total transaction value of US$1.073 billion in cash, including approximately US$136 million of net debt.

The deal is slated for completion over Q1 2012. Elsewhere, British company Rockhopper Exploration, which is searching for crude stuff off the coast of Falkland Islands said on September 15 that it has made further significant finds.

It now expects to start pumping oil by 2016 and would need US$2.1 billion to develop its Sea Lion prospect. Company estimates are for 350 million barrels of recoverable reserves and production peak of 120,000 bpd is expected in 2018. Given the figure, smart money is on Rockhopper either partnering with another company or being taken over by a major. While Rockhopper continues to surprise, that the Argentines are moaning is hardly a surprise.

The Falkland Islands have always be a bone of contention between Argentina and UK who went to war over the Islands in 1982 after the former invaded. UK forces wrested back control of the islands, held by it since 1833, after a week long war that killed 649 Argentine and 255 British service personnel according to UK archives.

The prospect of oil in the region has renewed diplomatic spats with the Argentines complaining to the UN and launching fresh claims of sovereignty. Since, most Falkland islanders want to retain British sovereignty – UK PM David Cameron has declared the issue “non-negotiable”, while Argentina has declared him “arrogant”. It is at present, as the Oilholic noted last year, nothing more than a bit of diplomatic argy-bargy with an oily dimension and is highly likely to stay there.

Finally, concluding on a much lighter note, the London Stock Exchange (LSE), a preferred destination for oilholics, energy majors and miners for their listings, has quite literally become a hive of activity. One is reliably informed via its press office that the LSE has introduced 60,000 bees to their new home in hives situated on the roof of its City HQ at Paternoster Square (see photo on the left).

The introduction of the busy bees is aimed at encouraging growth of the urban bee population in the UK. The initiative is in a partnership with award-winning UK social enterprise - The Golden Company - which works with young people to develop viable businesses that produce, market and sell honey and honey-based natural cosmetics.

Xavier Rolet, CEO of LSE Group describes the move as the perfect example of community and business working together. Ilka Weissbrod, Director of The Golden Company says bees on the roof will be looked after by their ‘Bee Guardians’ together with members of LSE staff and everyone was looking forward to seeing the bees settle in their new home. Sounds like fun!

© Gaurav Sharma 2011. Photo 1: Pump Jacks Perryton, Texas, USA © Joel Sartore / National Geographic. Photo 2: Bees atop the London Stock Exchange © LSE Press Office, September 2011.