Petróleo crudo
Argus aporta transparencia a los mercados de petróleo naturalmente complejo para permitir la eficiencia comercial
Descripción general
Los precios del petróleo crudo de Argus se han consolidado en los mercados mundiales desde 1979. Informamos sobre cada mercado de la manera en que opera, utilizando metodologías transparentes adecuadas al mercado. Nuestras evaluaciones del precio se han adoptado en una amplia gama de contratos comerciales, precios de venta oficiales, precios de transferencia interna, fórmulas fiscales y modelos económicos utilizados por los gobiernos y todos los aspectos de las industrias petroleras upstream, midstream y downstream.
Ahora que el crudo de EE. UU. tiene demanda a nivel mundial, la intersección entre los mercados de oleoductos y marítimos en la costa del Golfo de EE. UU. es fundamental para la fijación de precios del crudo global. Durante más de dos décadas, las evaluaciones de Argus WTI en Midland y Houston han sido los benchmark físicos estándar para el crudo estadounidense, así como los índices de liquidación para un mercado de derivados sólido.
Nuestra cobertura rica, profunda y de confiable de los mercados mundiales del petróleo crudo es inigualable. Para tomar decisiones empresariales informadas en los mercados actuales del petróleo, necesita Argus.
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Últimas noticias sobre el petróleo crudo
Explore las ultimas noticias del mercado sobre la industria global del petróleo crudo.
Drone strikes spread across Mideast energy sector
Drone strikes spread across Mideast energy sector
US military action cannot loosen Iran's grip on the strait of Hormuz, and Iranian proxies are stepping up attacks, write Haik Gugarats and Charlotte Bawol New York, 31 July (Argus) — US-Iranian clashes resumed this week after a four-day pause that the White House attributed to attempts at renewed diplomacy. But elsewhere in the Middle East, the conflict continued unabated, and even spread north beyond the Red Sea. US forces carried out heavy strikes against targets in Iran's coastal and urban areas overnight on 29-30 July, following an Iranian strike against a US base in Jordan. The US targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facilities, according to US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees the country's Middle East-based forces. Centcom said the strikes were in retaliation against what it called an "attempted surprise attack" on US forces on 28 July. The IRGC, in response, claimed missile strikes on US bases in Jordan and Kuwait. Meanwhile, Iranian proxies focused their strikes on the region's energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia came under drone attack from Yemen and Iraq on 25-27 July. US and Saudi forces on 28 July carried out strikes in eastern Iraq against what they described as facilities used by Iran-backed Iraqi militias. A drone strike damaged two LNG vessels in Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta on 29 July, Cairo said, without assigning responsibility for the attack. President Donald Trump on 29 July described the drone strike in Damietta as "a little more of the same". He had previewed the Centcom strikes the same day by saying "we're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them". Trump has gone back and forth between vowing to compel Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz by military means and teasing out a potential diplomatic outcome. The White House has not explained how Iran retains the ability to attempt or to carry out "surprise attacks" against US bases, since Trump has routinely described the country's military capacity as "obliterated". But Iran's ability to control commercial traffic through the strait of Hormuz is unlikely to be diminished by US military operations, given the effectiveness of Tehran's asymmetrical warfare tactics, analysts say. The amount of firepower that Iran needs to disrupt commercial shipping through the strait is quite small, the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) research programme director Joshua Tallis tells Argus. This makes it very difficult for the US to degrade Iranian capabilities to a point where they pose no threat to commercial shipping. "I do not believe, short of a massive ground invasion, that there is a military solution to the Iranians' ability to disrupt and coerce commercial traffic moving through the strait," Tallis says. "The only solution is ultimately a diplomatic negotiated solution." CNA is an independent, not-for-profit organisation funded by the US government to advise its military forces. Ends and means Using diplomatic means to reduce Iran's motivation to attack may prove easier than reducing its ability to attack. Iran has retained its ability to inflict severe damage on commercial shipping using unconventional tactics. Its asymmetric capabilities include fast attack craft, cruise missiles and drones. Vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz has increasingly been concentrated along the northern lanes that Iran controls, suggesting that its attacks on commercial shipping using other routes have paid off. The northern lane was used by 88-100pc of Hormuz traffic over 20-24 July, according to data from Maritime security company Windward. All of the vessels that transited the strait on 24 July did so using the northern route, according to Windward. But commercial traffic through the strait is moving at a fraction of pre-war levels, with only 12 vessels transiting the waterway on 24 July, around 9pc of pre-war levels, Windward data show. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
BP puts UK North Sea business up for sale
BP puts UK North Sea business up for sale
London, 31 July (Argus) — BP has put its UK North Sea business up for sale, potentially ending more than 60 years as an operator in the basin. The company said on 31 July that it had launched a process to seek a buyer for the business as part of a wider portfolio review intended to simplify the group. The assets include five production hubs: Andrew and Etap in the central North Sea, and Glen Lyon, Clair and Clair Ridge west of Shetland. BP produced 82,000 b/d of liquids and 203mn ft³/d of natural gas in the UK in 2025, and employed around 1,100 people in its North Sea business. "The North Sea remains integral to the UK's energy system," chief executive Meg O'Neill said. "However, as we focus our portfolio and direct capital to our highest-value opportunities, we believe our North Sea business will be better positioned as part of another company." The move would mark a symbolic shift for a company that helped shape the UK offshore industry. BP has operated in the North Sea for around 60 years and describes Clair as the largest oil field on the UK continental shelf, with an estimated 7bn bl of oil in place. Clair Ridge, the second phase of development, started production in 2018 and was designed to recover an estimated 640mn bl. BP has continued to invest in its UK upstream portfolio in recent years despite a tougher fiscal backdrop for North Sea operators. Production from the Murlach field, tied back to Etap, started in 2025. The sector has faced mounting fiscal pressure since the UK introduced the Energy Profits Levy in 2022. The levy was increased to 38pc from November 2024, taking the headline tax rate on UK upstream oil and gas activities to 78pc, and was extended to March 2030. The government also removed the levy's main investment allowance. O'Neill had criticised changes to the UK fiscal regime before taking over as BP chief executive. Speaking in October 2022, she said "changing the tax regime without much industry consultation is not conducive to attracting new investors", and that such changes were not the kind of market signal that would say "come invest here". The higher tax burden has also drawn criticism from operators and industry groups, which argue it has made investment decisions more difficult and reduced the attractiveness of the UK continental shelf. Industry association Offshore Energies UK has said the current fiscal regime is deterring capital investment and accelerating declines in domestic oil and gas production. BP's move lands at a politically sensitive moment for the UK North Sea, with new prime minister Andy Burnham under pressure over the future of oil and gas drilling in the basin. US president Donald Trump has publicly pressed the UK to make greater use of its North Sea resources and criticised the previous government's approach. Burnham said on 30 July that he had told Trump he would take a "pragmatic approach" to the North Sea during a phone call the previous week. "There is a resource there", Burnham said in an ITV News interview, adding: "When people are struggling, we can't ignore that. Hence, me indicating that to the president." Burnham has not announced a change in North Sea policy. The latest published government position remains the North Sea Future Plan, released in November 2025, which supports production from existing oil and gas fields throughout their operating lives while ending the award of new licences to explore new fields. The plan also introduced Transitional Energy Certificates intended to support additional production linked to existing infrastructure as part of what the government calls a managed transition. BP has previously reduced its direct operating role in another mature North Sea basin. In 2016 it combined its Norwegian upstream business with Det Norske to create Aker BP, retaining a 30pc stake in the new company. A sale would mark BP's withdrawal from UK North Sea oil and gas production, but not from the UK energy sector more broadly. The company said it remains active in fuel retailing, aviation fuels, trading, electric-vehicle charging, offshore wind, and carbon capture and storage projects. By James Keates Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Saudi Arabia unveils maritime defence alliance
Saudi Arabia unveils maritime defence alliance
Singapore, 31 July (Argus) — Saudi Arabia on 30 July announced the formation of a maritime defence alliance with 13 other countries, to address shared maritime threats and protect navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting on 30 July with representatives from 43 countries, out of which 14 issued a joint statement affirming their support for the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance project, according Saudi Arabia's ministry of defence. The alliance is a defence initiative seeking to strengthen collective maritime security, protect international sea lanes, preserve freedom of navigation and global trade, and share responsibility in confronting common threats. The 14 countries include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia. Participants at the meeting discussed the growing threats targeting maritime security, including attacks on vessels, energy tankers and maritime infrastructure, as well as the risks these pose to the safety of maritime navigation, global supply chain stability, and the international economy. Participants emphasised the importance of strengthening multilateral defence co-operation to deal with these threats and maintain the security of international sea lanes. The meeting also addressed the founding arrangements for the alliance, with Saudi Arabia set to serve as its founding and leading state and host its headquarters. Military planners from countries intending to join the alliance will work to complete founding procedures including finalising the charter and its reference documents, completing the organisational structure, command and control arrangements, operational mechanisms and forming the necessary frameworks and teams. Diversions and delays The Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi militant group announced a ban on Saudi Arabian maritime navigation on 20 July. The group has claimed attacks on Saudi-linked shipping and infrastructure since then, including on Saudi state-controlled Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu, with satellite images suggesting fires at Jizan. Crude tanker movements have been disrupted as a result, especially for Saudi Arabia's exports from the Red Sea. Some tankers have abandoned planned transits through the mouth of the Red Sea and have instead turned north toward the Suez Canal, potentially adding around a month to the voyage along with higher freight costs if destined for Asian or east African markets. Tanker markets have so far viewed the announcement of the alliance as a positive development, but any immediate impact on freight rates is expected to be limited. A lasting improvement in shipping conditions would more likely stem from de-escalation efforts rather than from additional military deployments, market participants said. Until there is clear evidence of reduced regional tensions and a sustained improvement in security conditions, shipowners are likely to remain cautious and avoid transits through the region. The coalition should support sentiment, but owners would place far greater weight on any indication from the Houthis themselves that they are committed to de-escalation, a shipbroker said. Additional naval protection helps, but the missiles will still be flying, they added. For now, war-risk premiums, insurance costs and transit assessments are unlikely to change materially on the back of an announcement alone, another market participant said. By Prethika Nair and Sean Lui Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Mexico economy tops forecasts with 2.2pc 2Q growth
Mexico economy tops forecasts with 2.2pc 2Q growth
Mexico City, 30 July (Argus) — Mexico's economy grew by 2.2pc in the second quarter of 2026, led by solid expansion in the agricultural sector and steady growth in the industrial and services sectors. Growth in gross domestic product (GDP) accelerated from an annual 0.2pc in the first quarter, statistics agency Inegi reported. The first-quarter figure was revised up from 0.1pc, reinforcing signs that the economy began gaining momentum in March. The second-quarter result followed 1.7pc annual growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 and a 0.2pc contraction in the third quarter last year. The primary sector, which includes agriculture, fishing, mining and hydrocarbon extraction, expanded by 7.6pc in the second quarter after growing 0.4pc in the first quarter, revised from an initial estimate of a 0.1pc contraction. Industrial sector output, including manufacturing, construction and mining, grew by 0.9pc after contracting 1.2pc in the first quarter, revised from a 1.3pc decline. The services sector expanded by 2.6pc from April to June, up from 1pc growth in the first quarter, revised from 0.7pc growth. The annualized second-quarter result surpassed the 2.1pc estimate from Mexican bank Banorte and well above its 1.6pc consensus estimate. Banorte said the "very positive" data reinforces its forecast for 1.4pc GDP growth in 2026, citing expected support from industrial and services activity. Banorte expects investment to remain a key driver, highlighting large planned projects in retail and e-commerce, including Mercado Libre's $4.6bn investment in Mexico. It also expects construction to benefit from government-backed spending on hospitals, natural gas infrastructure and renewable power projects. Banorte added that Mexico's trade outlook remains favorable despite the US decision on 1 July not to renew the USMCA free trade agreement while negotiations continue. Fitch Ratings estimates the latest US tariffs tied to forced-labor measures will actually lower Mexico's effective tariff rate to 3.7pc from 5pc. By James Young Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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