HOUSTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Surging shale oil rig flanges gulf coast production is poised to push U.S. oil output to more than 10 million barrels per day - toppling a record set in 1970 and crossing a threshold few could have imagined even a decade ago.

WASHINGTON/CARACAS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday warned that Venezuela's proposed "petro" cryptocurrency could violate sanctions against the OPEC nation's socialist government, a statement that could dent investor appetite for the soon-to-be-launched token.

Aker BP will pay out $450 million in dividends for 2018, $100 million more than previously indicated.

OSLO, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Norway's Aker BP will pay out $450 million in dividends for 2018, $100 million more than previously indicated, and has "a clear ambition" to raise them by the same amount each year to 2021, the oil BOP Blow Out Preventer repair company gulf coast said on Monday.

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The standout feature of China's crude oil and product trade data for December was the surge in exports of refined fuels to a record, but it already appears that this dynamic may not be sustainable.

(Bloomberg) -- Husky Energy Inc., the best oil-sands stock last year, may emerge as a top pick for investors who are looking to capitalize on surging crude prices and already have shares of the largest Canadian producers.

Shell confirms that it will redevelop the Penguins oil and gas field in the UK North Sea.

Royal Dutch Shell plc confirmed Monday that it will redevelop the Penguins oil and gas field in the UK North Sea.

(Bloomberg) -- Legendary oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens is closing his hedge fund, saying trading in oil has lost its luster.

Instead, the onetime Texas oil wildcatter wrote in a LinkedIn post that he wants to invest in “personal passions like promoting unbridled entrepreneurship and philanthropic and political endeavors.

Jan 12 (Reuters) - U.S. energy regulators rejected Williams Cos Inc's request to overturn New York's denial of a water permit for the company's proposed Constitution natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to New York, according to a filing on Thursday.