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Crude Oil
India's crude oil imports surged to a record high of about 5.6 million barrels per day in October, with refiners stepping up purchases from the Middle East and Russia despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, according to data from energy intelligence firm Kpler. Middle Eastern supplies accounted for about 2.3 million barrels per day, and Russian crude flows remained strong at around 2 million bpd, Kpler lead analyst Nikhil Dubey said in a post. Higher ship-to-ship transfers helped move more crude through the Strait of Hormuz, supporting a recovery in Gulf supplies during September and October and giving Indian refiners greater flexibility in sourcing. Russian shipments could moderate in November and December as attacks in the Black Sea push up freight rates, making those barrels less competitive on a landed-cost basis. At the same time, Gulf suppliers are offering competitive delivered prices to regain market share in India, Dubey said. However, any renewed disruption to flows throug
The government will share the cost of high-risk deepwater oil and gas exploration with energy companies under the Rs 84,084-crore Samudra Manthan scheme, offering to pay part of the cost of risky exploration wells, fund seismic mapping of offshore basins and help build shared production facilities. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued operational guidelines for the Samudra Manthan programme, which aims to improve the economics of exploring India's deepwater and ultra-deepwater basins, where high drilling costs and uncertain geological prospects have constrained investment. The scheme aims to cut India's heavy reliance on imported hydrocarbons. The guidelines say it will run through FY2030-31, with FY2026-27 as a preparatory year and spending in FY2027-28 to FY2030-31 as Phase I. Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal, in the preface to the guidelines, called the scheme "the most ambitious upstream oil and gas intervention undertaken in recent times" and said it could add "mor
Crude oil prices are poised for another volatile week, with supply worries in West Asia keeping markets on edge and stalled US-Iran talks adding to fears of fresh disruptions, even as efforts to ease shortages offer some relief, analysts said. Investors will track weekly crude stocks data from the American Petroleum Institute (API), Cushing inventories, overall US oil stocks and crude imports for signals on the supply-demand balance. The Strait of Hormuz remains a key source of uncertainty, with any disruption to shipments through the critical waterway threatening to further tighten global supplies. The domestic commodities market will remain closed during the morning session on Tuesday due to Dussehra. "Our outlook remains cautiously bullish, with price movements likely to be driven primarily by geopolitical developments and actual supply disruptions rather than headlines alone," said Ajit Mishra, SVP of Research at Religare Broking. Recent declines in US crude inventories have .
Crude oil futures are likely to remain volatile next week as uncertainty over US-Iran negotiations and escalating tensions in West Asia keep supply risks elevated, even as hopes of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz offer scope for a correction, analysts said. Investors will track the monthly oil market reports from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the International Energy Agency, along with the American Petroleum Institute's weekly inventory numbers and US government data on crude inventories and imports, they added. The geopolitical situation remains fluid after US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, following an attack on Riyadh's international airport. "The widening conflict has heightened concerns over energy shipments through the region, including the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait," said Navneet Damani, Head of Research - Commodities at Motilal Oswal .