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China's apparent petroleum demand in October jumped 10.2% from a year ago as the world's second largest oil consumer ramped up crude processing rates, even as Beijing released a bunch of positive economic data for the month.

Fitch Ratings says that Europe's oil refining sector is experiencing considerable cash flow pressure due to a cyclical trough, particularly with regards to depressed refining margins and low refinery utilisation rates.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil production averaged 28.89 million barrels per day (b/d) in October, up 60,000 b/d from September's 28.83 million b/d, a Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry sources and analysts showed November 12.

Despite a number of key issues such as land use and competition for feedstocks supplies for traditional food and feed uses, global use of biofuels is excepted to more than double from 2009 to 2015, according to a new global analysis released by Hart's Global Biofuels Center. Leading the expansion is the United States with a growth of total biofuels use of more than 35%. Brazil will grow domestic supplies by 30% and more than double export volume. Indonesia and Malaysia will more than double production of palm oil biodiesel, while Germany will remain the largest producer of biofuels in Europe.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil production averaged 28.79 million barrels per day (b/d) in August, up 220,000 b/d from July, as Iraq and several other producers raised volumes from the previous month, a Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts showed September 8.

Fitch Ratings says that whilst the gold price remains near historic highs due to 'flight to quality' led investor demand, it expects prices to remain range bound in the short-term.

The Journal of Commerce-Economic Cycle Research Institute index of global industrial prices moved into positive territory for the first time in almost a year in its most recent week, signaling an improvement in global demand for the raw materials that go into industrial production, The Journal of Commerce reported.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) increased crude oil production by 80,000 barrels per day (b/d) to 28.47 million b/d in June, according to a just-released Platts survey of OPEC members, oil industry officials and analysts. This is an increase from 28.39 million b/d in May.

Oil prices have been soaring since 2003. In 2008, oil prices went up as high as $100, showing the vulnerability of nonproducing countries to dependency of the imports of crude. This situation forced Latin American nonproducing countries to reorient its investments towards the renewable energies, with the purpose of diversifying its energy matrices. The situation was different for producing countries with significant amounts of 3P reserves, because high oil prices increased their investments in exploration and production (E&P) activities.

The S&P GSCI, the most closely followed benchmark for investment performance in the commodity markets, registered its biggest one-month gain in May since Iraq invaded Kuwait in September of 1990. According to Standard & Poor's Index Services, the S&P GSCI increased 19.67% in May compared to a gain of 22.94% in September of 1990.