Laura Hurst, Bloomberg News An employee watches as a machine fills barrels with lubricant oil at the Royal Dutch Shell Plc lubricants blending plant in Torzhok, Russia, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. The oil-price rally worked both ways for Royal Dutch Shell Plc as improved exploration and production lifted profit to a three-year high while refining and trading fell short of expectations as margins shrank. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg , Bloomberg
(Bloomberg) Royal Dutch Shell Plc said its oil trading unit, which helped the energy giant avoid a loss in the second quarter of this year, will post a weaker performance this time around.