Oil up 2% on Libya Shutdowns, Mideast Escalation Fears

Storage tanks are seen at the Petroineos Ineos petrol refinery in Lavera, France, March 29, 2022. Picture taken March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Storage tanks are seen at the Petroineos Ineos petrol refinery in Lavera, France, March 29, 2022. Picture taken March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Oil up 2% on Libya Shutdowns, Mideast Escalation Fears

Storage tanks are seen at the Petroineos Ineos petrol refinery in Lavera, France, March 29, 2022. Picture taken March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Storage tanks are seen at the Petroineos Ineos petrol refinery in Lavera, France, March 29, 2022. Picture taken March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Oil prices rose 2% on Monday on news of fresh production outages in Libya, adding to earlier gains on concerns that an escalating Gaza conflict could disrupt regional oil supplies.

Brent crude futures climbed $1.64, or 2.08%, to $80.66 a barrel by 1041 GMT, while US crude futures were at $76.38 a barrel, up $1.55, or 2.07%.

Prices jumped after Libya's eastern-based Benghazi government announced the closure of all oil fields on Monday, halting production and exports.

"The biggest risk for oil market is probably a further drop in Libyan oil production due to political tensions in the country," said analyst Giovanni Staunovo of Swiss bank UBS, Reuters reported.

Oil prices opened the week higher after Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel on Sunday and Israel's military said it struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to thwart a larger attack, in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare.

The clash raised fears of wider conflict in the region.

"Geopolitical risk factors will likely influence the oil market significantly," said Kelvin Wong, a senior market analyst at OANDA in Singapore.

Monday's gains follow from both oil benchmarks gaining over 2% on Friday after US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell endorsed the start of interest rate cuts.

"The prospect of easing monetary policy boosted sentiment across the commodity complex," ANZ analysts said in a note.

Investors remain cautious over the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, or OPEC+, which has plans to raise output later this year, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova.



American Niantic Teams Up with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games to Expand in Middle East

Participants are seen at an e-sports event that was recently held in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Participants are seen at an e-sports event that was recently held in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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American Niantic Teams Up with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games to Expand in Middle East

Participants are seen at an e-sports event that was recently held in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Participants are seen at an e-sports event that was recently held in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Savvy Games Group, which is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced on Sunday the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Niantic Inc., a global leader in augmented reality and location-based games, to support Niantic’s expansion into the Middle East and North Africa region, specifically in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
The partnership will focus on inspiring people to play together through local community-building efforts and live events in the region, promoting exploration and discovery of cities and local neighborhoods, the company said in a statement.
Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy Games Group, said: “Our collaboration with Niantic marks a significant milestone in our efforts to bring cutting-edge games and esports experiences to the Middle East and North Africa region.”
He added that “by leveraging our local expertise and resources, we are excited to support Niantic’s expansion and create engaging, localized content that resonates with players across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt.”
Founder and CEO of Niantic, John Hanke, said: “Our partnership with Savvy Games Group will significantly enhance our reach in this vibrant region and support our growing community of players.
“Savvy’s deep understanding of the local markets and commitment to innovation makes it an ideal partner to inspire new audiences to explore the world and build real-world connections.”
Savvy will additionally look at ways to aid Niantic in establishing its regional operations in the Middle East and North Africa area.
This support could include identifying and securing office space, assisting with the recruitment of local talent, and providing administrative and logistical assistance to set up a functional regional office.