Stock Markets
Venezuela economy grew over 9% in 2024, president says
CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuela’s economy grew over 9% in 2024, President Nicolas Maduro said, according to a transcript of an interview published by Mexican media outlet La Jornada on Wednesday.
“In 2023, we had 5.5% (growth). In 2024, according to all scientific, statistical, and technical data, we will surpass 9% growth in gross domestic product, with a very high level of growth in the real economy, as well as in the hydrocarbons sector,” Maduro told Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet.
Venezuela’s economy in recent years has experienced a prolonged crisis marked by triple-digit inflation and the exodus of millions of Venezuelans seeking better opportunities elsewhere.
In 2019, the government loosened controls on the private sector, allowing for an informal dollarization, which provided a lifeline to key sectors of the economy.
However, analysts believe the strategy has not been sufficient for a full economic recovery.
The interview with Maduro is set to air on Venezuelan state television on Wednesday evening.
By Arathy Somasekhar
HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices edged higher on Friday and were on track for weekly gains as cold weather in Europe and the U.S. as well as additional economic stimulus flagged by China helped push prices in the previous session to their highest in more than two months.
futures were up 69 cents, or 0.9%, at $76.62 a barrel by 12:49 p.m. ET (1749 GMT) after settling on Thursday at the highest level since Oct. 25. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.11, or 1.5%, to $74.24.
Brent was on track for a 3.3% weekly gain, while WTI was set for a 5% increase.
Signs of Chinese economic fragility heightened expectations of policy measures to boost growth in the world’s top oil importer.
“China just is unceasing at this point in terms of their announcements about trying to stoke economic activity, and the market’s taking note of that,” said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital in New York.
Worries about Chinese demand were a factor in bearish demand assumptions last year, he added.
China announced a couple of new measures to boost growth this week with a surprise move to raise wages for government workers and the announcement of a sharp increase in funding from ultra-long treasury bonds.
The additional funding is to be used to spur business investment and consumer-boosting initiatives.
Oil is likely to have gained some price support from expected increased demand for after forecasts for colder weather in some regions.
“Oil demand is likely benefiting from cold temperatures across Europe and the U.S.,” said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.
Also supporting prices, stockpiles dropped by 1.2 million barrels to 415.6 million barrels last week, EIA data showed.
Meanwhile U.S. gasoline and distillate inventories jumped as refineries ramped up output, though fuel demand hit a two-year low.
Holding back prices however, the dollar was on track for its best week in about two months, even as it dipped on Friday, on expectations that the U.S. economy will continue to outperform its peers globally this year and that U.S. interest rates will stay relatively higher.
Higher rates increase borrowing costs, which can cut economic growth and demand for oil.
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Investing.com — U.S. data centers are expected to significantly increase their electricity and water usage by 2028, driven by the rising adoption of AI technology, according to a U.S. Department of Energy report.
The report forecasts data center electricity demand to rise by 13-27% annually, reaching 325-580 terawatt-hours (TWh), or 6.7-12% of total U.S. demand, by 2028.
This marks a sharp increase from 176 TWh in 2023, with AI servers accounting for much of the growth. demand from AI servers alone is expected to grow 4-8 times, surpassing conventional servers by 2028.
Water usage, primarily for cooling, is projected to increase even faster, by 17-33% annually, reaching 145-275 billion liters by 2028. The study highlights a shift towards water-cooled chillers to accommodate the higher energy density of AI-driven data centers.
The DOE study, conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, underscores the rapid transformation in data center infrastructure, with substantial implications for energy and resource planning in the U.S.
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