Russia's Urals oil price discount widens to 23% in November, central bank says

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 11/27/25 07:00 AM EST

*

Urals oil price discount to Brent up to 23% in November - c.bank

*

Russia's oil output rises by October to 9.38 million bpd

MOSCOW, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Russia's Urals oil price discount to global benchmark Brent widened by six percentage points this month to 23%, Russian central bank said on Thursday it its review.

The discounts, though less severe than those seen after the initial wave of Western sanctions in 2022, reflect mounting pressure on Russian oil revenues - a critical lifeline for Moscow's budget.

The United States last month imposed tough restrictions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft.

The central bank said the discount stood at close to 15% in the second and third quarters, reaching 17% in October.

Russia's oil and gas revenue may fall in November by 35%, according to Reuters calculations, due to a lower oil prices and stronger rouble.

The central bank also said that Russian oil output averaged at 8.995 million barrels per day in the second quarter, rising to 9.38 million bpd by October as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, has embarked on unwinding previous voluntary production cuts.

Despite the sanctions, Russia's oil exports from western ports remain near peak levels, supported by OPEC+ output allowances and domestic refinery outages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes. (Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya and Olesya Astakhova, writing by Vladimir Soldatkin/Guy Faulconbridge)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

fir_news_article