1/ "Gadhafi must go, and go for good," leaders of U.S., U.K. and France say 2/ After Gadhafi's exit, U.N. countries will help Libya rebuild, the op-ed says 3/ Despite international help, Libyans alone will choose their next leaders, op-ed says http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/14/gadhafi.op.ed/index.html?hpt=T1 (CNN) -- In a joint opinion piece to be published Friday, the leaders of the United States, Britain and France lay out in stark terms their contention that Libya's future must not include its leader, Moammar Gadhafi. "It is unthinkable that someone who has tried to massacre his own people can play a part in their future government," said the article, titled "Libya's Pathway to Peace," by U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "It would be an unconscionable betrayal." "However, so long as Gadhafi is in power, NATO must maintain its operations so that civilians remain protected and the pressure on the regime builds," they wrote. "Then a genuine transition from dictatorship to an inclusive constitutional process can really begin, led by a new generation of leaders. In order for that transition to succeed, Gadhafi must go and go for good."
Libya 4/15 ------------------ http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-15 9:11am France and Britain want to extend air strikes to the logistics and decision centres of Muammar Gaddafi's army, rather than start arming Libyan rebels, Gerard Longuet, the French defence minister, said. Asked if it was time to send weapons to the rebels, Longuet told LCI television: "This is the reason France and Britain want to show our determination, including with strikes on military decision centres in Libya or on logistics depots which today are being spared. Why? Because if we want to avoid civil war... the force of the other side must be neutralised, and so the strikes we are asking for are aimed at not having to arm the insurgents. Our goal is not to organise a front, it's that Gaddafi's troops go back to their barracks." 8:10am This video, sent to Al Jazeera by an anti-government group, shows protesters at a gathering in Tripoli yesterday. The man and women are stating their intent to continue defying the ban on freedom of expression and to continue to show their support for those calling for freedom in Libya. "It is Tripoliâs first âprotest gatheringâ involving both men and women, and we intend for it to be the first of many," the protesters wrote to Al Jazeera: ------------- http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2...-wolf-blitzer-about-weapons-to-libyan-rebels/ AL-THANI: If they will ask for weapons, we are going to provide them. BLITZER: Have they asked? AL-THANI: Well, of course they asked, but it will take some time, some training and it depends in if we are going to push for this fast or not, because such weapons... BLITZER: Because... AL-THANI: - need a lot of training. BLITZER: Because, Your Highness, you know that there are reports that French-made anti-tank weapons, you've already provided to the opposition. Is that true? AL-THANI: <b> It might be arrived to them during the last two days. It's possible.</b>
old news as of PIT session close time yesterday ----------------------- By Mark Shenk - Apr 14, 2011 1:27 PM PT Crude Oil Advances on Reports Saudi Arabia Reduced Production This Month http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...y-unit-shut-u-s-gasoline-supplies-tumble.html Crude oil climbed for a second day in New York on reports that Saudi Arabia, holder of the worldâs largest oil reserves, reduced output this month. Futures rose 0.9 percent after John Sfakianakis, chief economist at Riyadh-based Banque Saudi Fransi, said the desert kingdom cut production by 300,000 barrels a day. Barclays Plc said Saudi Arabia may be reducing production of its lighter oil blends introduced in response to the slump in Libyan output. âThe news that the Saudis are cutting output should be scaring the daylights out of people,â said Bill OâGrady, chief market strategist at Confluence Investment Management in St. Louis. âIt looks like they couldnât find buyers for their light blends.â Libyan Oil Shortfall Falling Libyan crude production bolstered prices for comparable low-density, low-sulfur grades. Saudi Arabia developed two blends to offset the Libyan shortfall. <b>Nigeriaâs Bonny Light crude, a grade with similar properties to the missing Libyan barrels, has surged 30 percent this year and touched $130.13 on April 8, the highest level since July 22, 2008. The grade slipped 8 cents to $125.60 a barrel at 3:09 p.m., according to data compiled by Bloomberg.</b> âIf Saudi Arabia is cutting back on anything, theyâve cut back on those blends,â said Amrita Sen, a commodities analyst at Barclays in London. Elections in Nigeria this month may lead to decreased output from Africaâs top crude-producing country. Attacks by armed groups in the Niger delta region, home to Nigeriaâs oil and gas industry, cut more than 28 percent of the countryâs oil output between 2006 and 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News. âThe geopolitical situation is getting worse,â said Ray Carbone, president of Paramount Options Inc., a broker on the New York Mercantile Exchange. âThe Saudis cut production, thereâs problems in Nigeria and sweet crude is diminishing.â U.S. Economic Data Oil also increased after the dollar dropped as U.S. initial jobless claims rose and producer prices advanced at a slower pace, signaling the Federal Reserve will keep borrowing costs low. A falling U.S. currency increases the appeal of raw materials priced in dollars. The greenback dropped as much as 0.5 percent to $1.4515 per euro. <b>âOil rose as soon as the dollar dropped,â said Carl Larry, president of Oil Outlooks & Opinions LLC in Houston. âTodayâs economic data makes it less likely that the Fed will raise rates, which is weakening the dollar.â</b> Oil volume in electronic trading on the Nymex was 701,989 contracts as of 3:13 p.m. in New York. Volume totaled 1.03 million contracts yesterday, 29 percent above the average of the past three months. Open interest was 1.59 million contracts the most since March 14.
old News ----------- Oil Heads for First Weekly Loss in a Month Amid Inflation, Demand Concern http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...in-a-month-amid-inflation-demand-concern.html <b>Chinaâs GDP, Inflation</b> Chinaâs economy grew 9.7 percent in the first quarter while consumer prices rose 5.4 percent from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said at a briefing in Beijing today. The median forecasts in Bloomberg News surveys of economists were for growth of 9.4 percent and inflation of 5.2 percent. Industrial output increased 14.8 percent year-on-year, exceeding estimates of 14 percent. âThe Chinese data is both bullish and bearish for commodities,â said Tetsu Emori, a commodity fund manager with Astmax Ltd. in Tokyo. âItâs a difficult situation for the Chinese government. They would like to sustain the economic growth for as long as possible, but they have to control consumer prices.â Taming prices is the governmentâs top and âurgentâ priority, Chinaâs cabinet said after meeting in Beijing this week to review the performance of the worldâs second-biggest economy. Officials aim to hold full-year inflation at 4 percent. <b>Brent Premium</b> âWe still expect oil prices to march higher because there is a strong correlation historically between Chinaâs industrial output growth and oil prices,â said Gordon Kwan, head of regional energy research at Mirae Asset Securities in Hong Kong. âWe expect Brent prices to test $130 a barrel next week, also because of escalating tensions in Libya and because European refineries are coming back from maintenance.â
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/live-blog-middle-east-protests-april-15 Live Blog: Middle East protests April 15 9:42am SYRIA: Security forces have arrested hundreds of people arbitrarily since pro-democracy protests erupted a month ago and subjected them to torture and ill-treatment, says a Human Rights Watch report published today. The torture included electric shocks and sleep deprivation, says the report. Nadim Houry, senior Syria researcher at HRW, speaks to Al Jazeera. 9:17am SYRIA: John Kerry, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should order his army and police not to use violence against peaceful demonstrators. Assad must seize the opportunity and open a genuine dialogue to achieve the aspirations of the Syrians, Kerry added. He said that the world will be "closely watching" demonstrations expected to be held in Syria today. 8:58am EGYPT: Al Jazeera's Adam Makary in Cairo tells us that a pro-military demonstration has been called for 2:30pm (GMT) in Nasr City - according to plans published in the government-owned Al Ahram newspaper. 8:47am BAHRAIN: More on those reports of Bahrain backing down on moves to ban opposition Shia parties. Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, a former Wefaq member of parliament, says: It's reached a stage where they say there are no more moderates; that the entire opposition consists of extremists. This is the wrong message.
Here I am speculating on 3 possible configurations for OIL today Friday and let us if we get any of these today ( few ticks here and there ) my thoughts are OIL price is now back to tracking Libyan events at least this Friday, few mentions - US/UK/France state heads writing article stating again 'gaddafi must leave for good' - NATO now seriously looking for air strikes on ground where ever they can find gaddafi forces - first opposition gathering in Tripoli we had these close price approximate 4/13 close 107.50 4/14 close 108.50 if we assume 4/15 close around 109.90 config 1: ----------- - price reaching 109.50 in first 2 hours after US stock markets open - then retrace to 108 - final push up to 109.90 by close config 2: ------------- - price pull back to 107 level in first 2 hours after US stock market , - some chop around 108 later then - finally push to 109.90 level by close config 3: --------- - price chop most of the day and closing 108.90 - this case gives basically NO week end premium like the one we had 2 weeks ago on Friday - the following monday Rebels captured Ajdebiya after NATO strikes on Libyan tanks waiting outside city First of its kind at that time , the after the fact monday analysis concludes the big Traders anticipated this action on Friday hence no week-end premium. - if we do not have any week-end premium today , there will be some interesting/surprising events and price action on Monday ..
All sugared- and caffeined-up, ready to go! Good luck, skill everyone! --- Trading June already. Based on recent volatility today we should see either 107 or 110.