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Baker Hughes see tariff hit at lower end of range

  • : Crude oil, Natural gas
  • 25/10/13

Oilfield services giant Baker Hughes said the impact from tariffs on this year's results will be at the lower end of the $100mn-$200mn range it estimated in April.

"It is an incremental pressure point, but it's something that we have to manage through," chief executive officer Lorenzo Simonelli told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London today.

With around 70pc of the world's oil and natural gas production coming from mature assets, Simonelli also noted there are technologies in place today that can reduce costs in the drilling process.

"We need more exploration, but before we go out and do the greenfield exploration, there's a lot that we can do from a mature asset solution perspective," he said.

Baker Hughes is scheduled to report third quarter results on 23 October.


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Majors could get $600mn 4Q profit boost as margins jump


25/11/17
25/11/17

Majors could get $600mn 4Q profit boost as margins jump

London, 17 November (Argus) — Current earnings estimates fail to take into account up to $600mn in additional refining profits across BP, Shell and TotalEnergies for the fourth quarter of this year thanks to continuing strong momentum in margins, according to Morgan Stanley. In research published on 16 November, the investment bank noted that the crack spread for diesel has rallied by more than 30pc over the past three weeks on concerns around a disruption to supplies from Russia, following the recent US sanctions imposed on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil. Major buyers of Russian diesel include Turkey and Brazil, which Morgan Stanley sees potentially reducing their Russian diesel imports by a combined 150,000-200,000 b/d. It said that displaced diesel volumes are unlikely to be absorbed by China or India in the same way that they receive Russian crude as both countries are net exporters of diesel. Consequently, Morgan Stanley said there is potential for a $600mn increase in consensus post-tax earnings for Shell, BP and TotalEnergies in the fourth quarter, and a $200mn uplift for Repsol. The investment bank issued a caveat for these estimates for earnings increases by noting that companies' ability to capture improved refining margins varies by quarter. In the third quarter, BP and TotalEnergies were able to capture the period's improved margins due to lower maintenance activities at their refineries. At the same time, as Argus reported on 14 November , gasoline margins have also grown firmer due to the new sanctions that hit Lukoil's refineries in Europe as well as a scramble for cargoes in Nigeria ahead of incoming import tariffs. By Jon Mainwaring Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Ministers left with mountain of work at Cop 30


25/11/17
25/11/17

Cop: Ministers left with mountain of work at Cop 30

Belem, 17 November (Argus) — Ministers gathering for the second week of the UN Cop 30 climate summit are tasked with piecing together informal negotiations, including on a potential roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels, responses to the lack of ambition in new climate plans, and other topics on the official agenda. Ministers will have to wrap up talks held in informal presidency consultations on four key topics — unilateral trade measures, climate finance obligations, emissions reporting and responses to climate plans — even though it remains unclear how a potential deal might look. The Brazilian Cop 30 presidency released a note on 17 November highlighting where parties continue to disagree. Gaps remain on finance, with some countries eyeing a work programme, while developed countries reaffirm that their obligations towards developing countries are covered under the new $300bn/yr finance goal agreed last year in Baku . There are also five options on the response to climate plans. One is to have an "annual consideration" under official negotiations of the report weighing country targets and actions, while another is to have an unnamed roadmap to accelerate implementation, international co-operation and investment to be published before Cop 31. Some negotiating groups, including the alliance of small island states (Aosis) and the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) are supporting the creation of a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap, while the "EU strongly welcomes the idea for a roadmap being discussed at Cop 30," energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said. Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the UK have also signalled support. But UK energy minister Ed Miliband pointed out the difficulty for some countries to move away from fossil fuels, including reliance on hydrocarbons for energy and jobs. Brazil and Colombia are also supporting the roadmap. But few other developing oil producers have spoken in favour of it, pointing to their dependence on hydrocarbons, the need for increased finance flows and a just transition. "It's acceptable that Nigeria is ready to transition, but transitioning now has to be consistent with a bunch of economic priorities," the director general of Nigeria's national council on climate change Omotenioye Majekodunmi said. Transitioning away from fossil fuels "must recognise the very strong differences in economic opportunities," she said. The Arab Group, which includes major oil producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE, wants to focus on the climate finance obligations of developed countries. The calls for a fossil fuel roadmap have yet to turn into something more tangible, according to the presidency. Brazilian environment minister Marina Silva said that she does not expect a decision on this at this Cop but welcomes the "beginning of the construction". Even if a roadmap fails to materialise in Belem, the pressure on fossil fuels is likely here to stay at climate summits. Official talks Ministers will also need to agree on official items this week, including adaptation, just transition and the UAE dialogue, which aims to advance the implementation of the global stocktake (GST). The GST agreed two years ago at Cop 28 in Dubai featured the call to transition away from fossil fuels and triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, which has since received some pushback. To help them, the Brazilian presidency asked countries to finish all technical works on the agenda items by 18 November. Cop 30 chief executive Ana Toni struck a positive note about negotiations at the end of the first week, saying several texts have already been approved, but conceded that a lot of work remained to be done. An informal text on the just transition work programme featured options with language on fossil fuels and the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies, but the paragraphs face opposition. The text recognises the role of transitional fuels — largely natural gas — while transition minerals have been included within the scope of the programme. "To get, you must give, and being honest, we need to be giving more," UN climate body UNFCCC executive secretary Simon Stiell said. "The issues that may not be priorities for you are clearly issues and priorities for other nations," he added. By Lucas Parolin and Caroline Varin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Chile turning right in presidential elections


25/11/17
25/11/17

Chile turning right in presidential elections

Santiago, 16 November (Argus) — Far right Juan Antonio Kast and communist Jeannette Jara, who represents a coalition of left and centrist parties, got the most votes in Chile's presidential elections on Sunday and will face each other in a runoff on 14 December. Forecasts call for 59-year-old Kast, founder of the Republican Party of Chile, to comfortably beat 51-year-old Jara in the second round by picking up the votes of other rightwing candidates. Combined this would give Kast more than 50pc of the vote. Jara was chosen to run for president in a center-left primary and faced no real contenders on the left in the first round. With almost 78pc of polling stations counted, Jara led with 27pc of the votes against Kast's 24pc but far from the 50pc required to win outright. Concerns about rising crime and immigration have dominated the campaign. Kast promises an "emergency government" that would use physical barriers to shut the border to illegal immigrants, expel undocumented migrants and crack down on organized crime. He has attacked Jara, a former minister in leftwing President Gabriel Boric's government, for representing continuity to an unpopular government. Boric's approval rating is 30pc. Jara has tried to distance herself from the Boric government and raised the possibility of renouncing or suspending her communist party membership if elected. Populist Franco Parisi placed a surprising third with around 19pc of the votes, Johannes Kaiser who is to the right of Kast picked up 14pc and center-right former mayor Evelyn Matthei, once a front-runner, scraped 13pc. Jara's result is well below the 30pc ceiling her team expected and unlikely to provide sufficient momentum to win enough voters put off by the ultraconservative Kast who opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. An admirer of Chile's former authoritarian dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast has promised to cut public spending by $6bn in 18 months — the equivalent to 1.7pc of GDP — and reduce corporate tax to 23pc from 27pc. Jara says she will boost the minimum wage, ease permitting and build Chile's green hydrogen potential and massive copper and lithium resources to attract foreign investment. She also promises to cut electricity rates by 20pc for the first 85kWh of consumption per month. The right's strong showing in the presidential election suggests it will also do well in the congressional elections for the chamber of deputies and half of the senate, with votes still being counted. Earlier polls suggested the right could win a majority in both houses. By Emily Russell Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: 'Tangible' transition from fossil fuels needed


25/11/15
25/11/15

Cop: 'Tangible' transition from fossil fuels needed

Belem, 15 November (Argus) — Kazakhstan's deputy minister of natural resources Mansur Oshurbayev today called for a "tangible, not rhetorical" transition away from fossil fuels at a panel during the UN Cop 30 climate summit in northern Brazil. Nigerian and Fijian representatives at the same panel noted the need for "real alternatives" for industry and workers, and for the finance to support a transition, respectively. The topic of moving away from fossil fuels has drawn attention at Cop 30, with host country Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva calling for a roadmap to overcome dependence on them . But talks on the topic are moving slowly. Cop 30 chief strategy and alignment officer Tulio Andrade said earlier this week that they are not on the formal negotiation table. Almost 200 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels at Cop 28 in 2023. Some developing nations such as Colombia are eager for a phase-out plan at Cop 30, but others, especially in the Middle East and Africa, are concerned that it might hinder their development, according to delegates. A growing number of countries are discussing an option similar to the so-called Baku to Belem roadmap , which sets out paths to scale climate finance for developing countries to $1.3 trillion/yr by 2035. A fossil fuel phase-out roadmap could look similar, a French delegation source said. Any reduction in fossil fuel production can only come "with real alternatives for firms, workers and regions", Oshurbayev said during the panel. "We must preserve and redeploy this human capital into activities that support the climate transition and do not directly compete with the coal and oil and [natural] gas operations", he added. The phase out of fossil fuels is a "difficult conversation", the director general of Nigeria's national council on climate change Omotenioye Majekodunmi said. Around 80pc of Nigeria's economy relies on fossil fuels and the country uses about 40GW of fossil-powered generators to generate electricity, he said. But there have been some strides at the national level, such as removing taxes on photovoltaic systems, solar panels and batteries, which will allow "small mom and pop shops and homes to adopt renewable energy options other than burning gasoline and diesel", he said. The country also removed long-standing fuel subsidies in 2023. The Netherlands' vice-minister of climate and energy Michel Heijdra called on countries to reduce fossil fuels subsidies earlier in the week during a Cop 30 high-level event. And fossil fuel subsidies throughout the world are mostly "underpriced, underused or unjust", the deputy chief of IMF's climate policy division Diego Mesa said. Nigeria is also considering creating an additional tax on oil products, Majekodunmi said, which would encourage the country to "reimagine alternative energy sources to drive its economy". The country will rely on natural gas as a "transition fuel" as it winds down over-dependence on fossil fuels, Majekodunmi said. Electrification can also help countries reduce fossil fuel usage, Oshurbayev said. Bold and joint action will be needed to mitigate the consequences of irreversible climate change, including to phase out fossil fuels, the permanent secretary of Fiji's environment and climate change ministry Sivendra Michael said. And any such action will require financing, he told Argus on the sidelines. Some countries, such as India and Saudi Arabia, are pressing for the climate finance obligations of developed countries to developing countries to be addressed at this summit. This is one of four contentious topics that did not make it onto the official agenda, but that countries are discussing in consultations overseen by the Cop presidency. "The ball is [in the] rich countries' court", Michael said. The technical phase of Cop 30 is now wrapping up, as countries' ministers are starting to arrive. The talks will shift into a political phase from 17 November. By Lucas Parolin and Rhys Talbot Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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