欧洲正以历史最低水平的天然气库存进入冬季。如果天气比预期更加寒冷，欧洲将缺乏足够的缓冲空间，而此时天然气价格正在大幅上涨。欧洲天然气基础设施行业组织Gas Infrastructure Europe负责人Lucie Boost表示：“如果我们面临复合型冲击，情况将变得棘手。”根据Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory数据库的数据，目前欧洲天然气储存设施的库存率仅为65.6%，远低于正常秋季水平，也是该数据库15年前开始记录以来同期最低水平。过去两个月，欧洲天然气价格已上涨超过75%，本周更是触及三年来最高水平。德国和荷兰的储气运营集团表示，两国都将无法达到各自的天然气储存目标，目标库存率分别为70%和80%。

RBNZ Assistant Governor Silk said the bank is more likely to wait until December for its next rate increase. The RBNZ raised the OCR at a second consecutive meeting this week; Governor Breman said further hikes may be required but policymakers want time to assess the impact of earlier moves. “We have been clear that, based on the economic outlook, further rate increases may be necessary,” Silk said, adding the timing — October or December — is undecided but the latter is more likely on the current rate path. Swaps price a 31% chance of a 25bp October hike to 3% and a 100% probability of 3% by December. Silk reiterated the RBNZ has no pre-set tightening path.

Iran's oil minister said drilling has begun on more than 30 wells at the South Pars gas field, with some wells yielding positive results.