1. Report Industry Investment Rating - No specific industry investment rating is provided in the given content. 2. Core View of the Report - Russia's sanctions are beneficial for OPEC to continue increasing production. With the current geopolitical situation and production - increase policy, it is expected that the production quota increase will continue, and OPEC's actual supply depends on Saudi Arabia's production willingness [2]. 3. Summary by Related Catalogs Market News and Important Data - On a certain day, the December - delivered light crude oil futures price on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped by $1.16 to $60.15 per barrel, a decline of 1.89%; the December - delivered Brent crude oil futures price in London fell by $1.22 to $64.40 per barrel, a decline of 1.86%. The SC crude oil main contract closed down 1.78% at 458 yuan per barrel [1]. - Saudi Aramco's CEO Amin Nasser said that global crude oil demand was strong even before sanctions on Russian oil companies. He predicted an oil demand growth of 1.1 - 1.4 million barrels per day next year, and oil and gas will remain important in the global energy structure in the coming decades [1]. - On October 28, oil prices declined for the third consecutive day as OPEC +'s production - increase plan outweighed the positive impact of trade optimism. OPEC + is likely to slightly increase production again in December. Sanctions on Russian oil companies previously boosted oil prices, and investors are now questioning their effectiveness. The IEA chief believes the impact of sanctions on oil prices is limited due to large surplus production capacity [1]. - The Iraqi oil minister stated that Iraq's daily oil export volume is 3.6 million barrels, with the Kurdistan region exporting about 195,000 barrels per day. Iraq's crude oil production capacity is 5.5 million barrels per day, but it adheres to OPEC's quota of 4.4 million barrels per day [1]. - Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Ukraine will expand its strikes on Russian refineries [1]. Investment Logic - After Russia is sanctioned, it is conducive to OPEC's continuous production increase. Saudi Crown Prince will visit the US in mid - November. Based on the current geopolitical situation and production - increase policy, the production quota increase is expected to continue, and OPEC's actual supply depends on Saudi Arabia's production willingness [2]. Strategy - Oil prices will fluctuate within a short - term range and a medium - term short - position allocation is recommended [3]. Risks - Downward risks include the US relaxing sanctions on Russian oil and macro black - swan events [3]. - Upward risks include the US tightening sanctions on Russian oil, breakthroughs in China - US trade negotiations, and large - scale supply disruptions caused by Middle - East conflicts [3].

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Core Laboratories Inc. reported third quarter 2025 revenue of $134.5 million, an increase of over 3% compared to Q2 2025 and flat year over year [11] - Operating income for the third quarter was $16.6 million, up from $14.5 million in Q2, yielding an EBIT margin of over 12% [14] - Net income excluding items for the quarter was $10.2 million, an increase of over 15% sequentially but down almost 14% year over year [15] - Earnings per diluted share excluding items was $0.22, up from $0.19 in the prior quarter and down from $0.25 last year [15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the reservoir description segment, revenue was $88.2 million, up over 2% compared to Q2, with operating income of $11.6 million and operating margins of 13% [31] - The production enhancement segment saw revenue of $46.3 million, up 6% compared to Q2, with operating income of $4.9 million and operating margins of 11% [35] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Demand for laboratory services related to crude oil and derived products remained steady, with trading patterns improving following sanctions [7] - International service revenue increased by 5% sequentially, while U.S. service revenue remained flat and decreased almost 4% year over year [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Core Laboratories Inc. continues to focus on technology investments to solve client problems and capitalize on technical and geographic opportunities [6] - The company aims to maximize free cash flow, return on invested capital, and return excess free cash to shareholders [10] - Core's strategies include introducing new products and services in key geographic markets and maintaining a lean organization [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management maintains a constructive outlook despite potential tariff headwinds and market volatility, projecting growth in crude oil demand driven by non-OECD countries [20][21] - The company anticipates that changes in crude oil prices will have a more immediate impact on U.S. onshore drilling and completion activity [23] - Core expects reservoir description revenue to increase sequentially in Q4, while production enhancement revenue may decline slightly [24] Other Important Information - Core repurchased over 462,000 shares of its stock during Q3, representing approximately 1% of outstanding shares and a value of $5 million [8] - The company’s long-term debt was $117 million, with a leverage ratio reduced to 1.1 [17] Q&A Session Summary Question: Opportunities for similar-sized transactions globally - Management discussed the potential for similar tuck-in technology acquisitions, emphasizing the benefits of structuring deals with earnouts to align interests [43][45] Question: Future activity levels in Asia Pacific - Management indicated that clients foresee higher activity levels, particularly in the Middle East and West Africa, with increasing exploration programs in Asia Pacific [47][49]

Core Insights - The International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that global oil demand will remain sluggish through 2026 due to ongoing macroeconomic weakness, with the petrochemical sector being the main driver of oil demand growth, although its impact is expected to weaken [1][2] Group 1: Oil Demand - IEA's October report highlights that current oil demand growth expectations are significantly below historical trends, primarily due to the electrification of transportation, which continues to suppress oil consumption growth [1] - The agency predicts an average daily increase in global oil demand of approximately 700,000 barrels in the remaining part of 2025 and in 2026, despite a reported increase of 750,000 barrels per day in the third quarter of this year [1] - The growth in oil demand during the third quarter was mainly driven by a rebound in petrochemical feedstock demand, which had previously been affected by tariffs, resulting in a daily increase of only 420,000 barrels in the second quarter [1] Group 2: Oil Supply - In September, global oil supply increased by 760,000 barrels per day to reach 108 million barrels per day, driven by OPEC+ production growth [2] - IEA forecasts that global oil supply will continue to exceed demand, with an expected increase of 3 million barrels per day by 2025, reaching 106.1 million barrels per day, and a further increase of 2.4 million barrels per day in 2026 [2] - Non-OPEC+ countries are anticipated to become significant contributors to the growth in oil supply [2]

Core Viewpoint - The shipping rates have been rising continuously since August, indicating an early exit from the off-season, with a significant divergence from the same period in 2023 and 2024, suggesting a preemptive turning point [1][2] Group 1: Recent VLCC Freight Rate Increase - The increase in VLCC freight rates is attributed to macroeconomic factors, including expectations of a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, which has improved demand expectations for commodities and transportation prices [1][2] - The price differential between WTI crude oil and Middle Eastern crude has widened, opening up arbitrage opportunities that have led to increased long-distance transportation and tighter shipping capacity in the Middle East [1][2] - The Suezmax tanker rates have also been strong, reaching up to $60,000 per day, with some demand spilling over into the VLCC market [1] Group 2: Supply and Demand Dynamics - Recent supply reductions from Iran, Russia, and Venezuela are expected to increase future compliant crude oil demand, with Iranian exports dropping from 1.7-1.9 million barrels per day to around 1.3-1.4 million barrels per day, and Russian exports decreasing from 3.5 million barrels per day to approximately 3.1-3.2 million barrels per day [2] - Middle Eastern production increases are anticipated to gradually ramp up during the peak demand season from September to December, further supporting strong freight rates in Q4 [2] Group 3: China's Stable Demand and Global Inventory Trends - China's crude oil imports from January to July 2025 increased by 4.6% year-on-year, with a 5.3% increase in imports excluding Iranian, Venezuelan, and Russian crude, primarily sourced from West Africa, Brazil, and Canada [3] - The overall demand in China remains stable, entering a phase of proactive inventory replenishment, with current storage capacity still having room compared to historical highs [3] Group 4: VLCC Market Outlook - The aging fleet is leading to a decline in effective shipping capacity, with expected VLCC effective capacity growth rates of -4.1%, -0.3%, and +1.8% from 2025 to 2027 [4] - Demand growth from oil-producing countries is expected to continue driving trade volumes, with projected demand growth rates of 2.3%, 1.4%, and 1% for the same period [4] Group 5: Stock Market Performance and Potential Upside - The stock of China Merchants Energy Shipping is currently trading at 0.84 times its net asset value, compared to 1.16 times for FRO and 1.06 times for DHT, indicating significant potential for price correction [5] - A $10,000 per day increase in freight rates could lead to an increase of approximately 1.53 billion in pre-tax profits for China Merchants Energy Shipping's VLCC fleet [5]

Report Summary 1. Investment Rating - The short - term outlook for oil prices is a strong and volatile trend, while the medium - term suggests a bearish allocation [3] 2. Core View - The recent strengthening of the WTI monthly spread and the increase in the premium of WTI Cushing over WTI Midland and WTI MEH indicate a tight fundamental situation in Cushing. This is mainly due to the reduction of Canadian light crude components flowing south to Cushing for blending, caused by wildfires and oil sands refinery maintenance. However, this only represents a local issue in the Midwest crude oil market. Usually, after the Canadian oil sands refinery maintenance ends in June, the situation will recover, and the current price difference will drive more Midland crude to flow to Cushing, suppressing the structural strengthening trend of Cushing [2] 3. Summary by Related Catalogs Market News and Important Data - The price of light crude oil futures for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 31 cents to $64.98 per barrel, a decrease of 0.47%. The price of Brent crude oil futures for August delivery fell 17 cents to $66.87 per barrel, a decrease of 0.25%. The SC crude oil main contract rose 0.54% to 482 yuan per barrel [1] - The EIA Short - Term Energy Outlook Report predicts that the average prices of WTI crude oil in the next two years will be $62.33 per barrel and $55.58 per barrel respectively (previously $61.81 per barrel and $55.24 per barrel), and the average prices of Brent crude oil will be $65.97 per barrel and $59.24 per barrel respectively (previously $65.85 per barrel and $59.24 per barrel). It is also predicted that the average daily output of US crude oil this year will be about 13.4 million barrels, and it will drop to about 13.37 million barrels next year [1] - The EU plans to lower the price cap on Russian oil from $60 per barrel to $45 per barrel in a new round of sanctions and ban the use of energy infrastructure including the "Nord Stream" pipeline. In response, Russian President Putin extended the ban on oil sales to buyers who comply with the crude oil price cap [1] - OPEC Secretary - General Al - Ghais said that oil demand will maintain strong growth in the next 25 years. OPEC expects that global energy demand will increase by 24% from now to 2050, and during this period, oil demand will exceed 120 million barrels per day [1] - In the week ending June 6 in the US, the API crude oil inventory was - 370,000 barrels (expected 100,000 barrels, previous value - 3.3 million barrels); the Cushing crude oil inventory was - 728,000 barrels (previous value 952,000 barrels); crude oil imports were - 117,000 barrels (previous value 141,000 barrels); gasoline inventory was 2.969 million barrels (expected 1.177 million barrels, previous value 4.7 million barrels); the volume of crude oil put into production was 152,000 barrels per day (previous value 316,000 barrels per day) [1] Strategy - Short - term: The oil price will be in a strong and volatile state. Medium - term: Bearish allocation [3] Risks - Downside risks: The Iran nuclear deal is reached, and there are macro black swan events [3] - Upside risks: Supply of sanctioned oil (from Russia, Iran, Venezuela) tightens, and large - scale supply disruptions occur due to Middle East conflicts [4]

Group 1 - OPEC+ has decided to increase production by approximately 130,000 barrels per day starting from April 2025, with a total increase of 1.23 million barrels per day by the end of 2025 and 2.46 million barrels per day by the end of 2026 [3] - The recent geopolitical uncertainties, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and potential new sanctions from the U.S. against Russia, are expected to enhance short-term oil price volatility [4] - The International Energy Agency (IEA) has raised its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2025 to 1.1 million barrels per day, indicating a positive outlook for oil demand [5] Group 2 - As of March 7, 2025, Brent and WTI crude oil futures prices were reported at $70.45 and $67.05 per barrel, reflecting a decline of 3.6% and 4.1% respectively from the previous week [2] - The IEA predicts that global oil supply will increase by 1.9 million barrels per day in 2025, suggesting a potential oversupply of 450,000 barrels per day even if OPEC+ maintains current production levels [3] - The marginal cost of U.S. shale oil production is approximately $64 per barrel, which is expected to influence oil price stabilization in the medium to long term [5]