Jun 1, 2020 - Energy & Environment

OPEC+ eyes extension of oil production cuts

OPEC conference at Vienna in March 2020. Photo: Askin Kiyagan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

OPEC+ members are in talks to lengthen current crude oil output curbs instead of loosening the restrictions as envisioned in their April agreement, per reports in Bloomberg and Reuters.

Driving the news: The OPEC+ group — which includes OPEC, Russia and allied producers — are eyeing an extension of the 9.7 million barrels per day production cut for one or two months, Reuters reported. Bloomberg notes it could be three.

Right now the cutbacks are slated to begin easing at the end of June, dropping to 7.7 million for the rest of the year.

The big picture: The formal cuts in the agreement are part of a much larger global decline in response to the pandemic that caused demand and prices to crater.

Demand has begun coming back and prices have rallied in recent weeks, but the market is still facing headwinds and lots of uncertainty.

What's next: The OPEC+ group's planned meeting next week could be moved up to this Thursday, per multiple reports.

Go deeper

Dion Rabouin, author of Markets

Aug 12, 2020 - Economy & Business

U.S. producer prices rose last month by the most since October 2018

Data: U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Axios Visuals

U.S. producer prices rose by the most since October 2018 last month, following a 0.2% decline in June.

Details: U.S. PPI for final demand, a measurement of prices paid by businesses, increased 0.6% last month, driven by a surge in portfolio management fees and the rising cost of gasoline.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)

Fadel Allassan

13 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Bill Clinton slams McConnell and Trump: "Their first value is power"

Former President Bill Clinton on Sunday called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) vow to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's vacant Supreme Court seat before the next presidential inauguration "superficially hypocritical."

The big picture: Clinton, who nominated Ginsburg to the court in 1993, declined to say whether he thinks Democrats should respond by adding more justices if they take back the Senate and the White House in November. Instead, he called on Republicans to "remember the example Abraham Lincoln set" by not confirming a justice in an election year.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Axios

34 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Pelosi: Trump wants to "crush" ACA with Ginsburg replacement

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that President Trump was rushing to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg because he "wants to crush the Affordable Care Act."

Why it matters: Pelosi wants to steer the conversation around the potential Ginsburg replacement to health care, which polls show is a top issue for voters, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration has urged the courts to strike down the law, and with it, protections for millions with pre-existing conditions.