OPEC holds view that demand is not a concern, despite claims by Kazakhstan to lead the jump in OPEC+ production
OPEC announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan was the country responsible for a significant increase in crude production in February by the wider OPEC+ group. This highlights a challenge facing the producer group to enforce adherence of agreed output targets. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reported that OPEC+ - which includes OPEC, Russia, and other allies - increased its output in February by 363,000 barrels a day, to 41,01 million bpd. Kazakhstan was the leading producer.
Novak: OPEC+ does not consider a delay in April's oil supply increase
RIA reported that Russian Deputy Premier Alexander Novak stated on Monday that OPEC+ producers do not plan to delay a series monthly increases in oil supplies scheduled to start in April. Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing delegates that OPEC+ (which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, and other allies) was examining if it should postpone the increase in supply, despite the calls of U.S. president Donald Trump to reduce oil prices.
OPEC+ rolls over oil policy, ditches US government data
OPEC+ decided to continue its policy of increasing oil production gradually from April and removed U.S. Energy Information Administration as a source to monitor their production and adherence with supply pacts. OPEC+ & Donald Trump clashed frequently during Donald Trump's first administration from 2016 to 2020 when the U.S. president demanded that it increase production in order to compensate for the fall in Iranian supply due U.S. sanction.
Sources say that OPEC+ is unlikely to alter its output policy at the Monday meeting of the panel.
OPEC+ will not change its plans to gradually increase production when it meets Monday, delegates told the producer group. This is despite President Donald Trump's request to OPEC and Saudi Arabia, which is de facto leader, to lower prices. The top ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, led by Russia or OPEC+ are scheduled to meet at 1300 GMT, on Monday. This is just days after Trump asked OPEC, Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries to pump more.
European gasoline glut affects global margins
As a result, gasoline stocks in Europe reached a record-high as exports fell due to increased refinery runs in Nigeria and the United States. This led to the profit margins for European and U.S. refineries to fall to a 15 month low in January. Gasoline profit margins usually fall in the winter due to lower seasonal demand. However, the magnitude of the drop is a major blow for refiners who are now facing low margins on petrochemicals. Diesel provides some relief to overall margins.
IEA projects a comfortably supplied oil market by 2025 despite a demand increase
The International Energy Agency (IEA), which is a part of the OPEC+ producer group, said that there will be enough oil on the world market in 2025. This was despite OPEC+ extending its oil supply cuts, and a slightly higher demand forecast than expected. The Agency said that its current outlook indicates a 950,000 barrels a day overhang in the next year – equal to almost 1% of the world's output – despite OPEC+ extending their output cuts until April 2025.
OPEC cuts oil demand forecasts for 2024 and 2025
OPEC reduced its estimates for the growth of oil demand this year and in 2019. The producer group has now revised their forecasts downward five times in a row. The weakened outlook shows the challenges facing OPEC+ which includes the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, such as Russia. OPEC+ delayed its plan earlier this month to increase output until April 2025 due to falling prices. In a report published monthly…
Sources say that OPEC+ has agreed to delay the December production increase by one month.
Three sources within the producer group said on Sunday that OPEC+ had agreed to postpone by one month the planned increase in oil production for December, due to the weak demand, notably coming from China, and the rising supply from outside the group. The OPEC+, which consists of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, and other allies was supposed to increase output by 180,000 barleys per day in the month of December. The increase was already postponed from October due to falling prices.
OPEC+ unlikely change policy on output at Oct. 2 panel
Five sources within the group said that despite recent drops in oil prices an OPEC+ panel will not recommend any changes this week to its current agreement to reduce production or to begin unwinding cuts made since December. On Wednesday, 1200 GMT, top ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) and its allies, led by Russia, will meet online to form a Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC). Brent crude oil prices fell in 2024. Last month, Brent crude dropped below $70 a barrel for the first since 2021.
New refineries bring down profits for global refiners
Oil refiners across Asia, Europe, and the United States have seen their profitability drop to multi-year-lows. This is a significant downturn in an industry which had previously enjoyed booming returns following the pandemic. It also highlights the global slowdown. This weakness is another sign of a softening consumer and industrial demand in China due to the slowing of economic growth and increasing penetration of electric cars. The pressure on prices has been exacerbated by the addition of new refineries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
OPEC lowers its global oil demand growth forecast for 2024 and 2025
OPEC cut its projection for the global oil demand in 2024 based on data collected so far this season. It also lowered its expectations for next year. This is the second successive downward revision by the producer group. The weaker outlook highlights the challenges that OPEC+ faces in balancing the markets. OPEC+ is made up of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, such as Russia. OPEC+ postponed a plan last week to pump more oil, after the prices fell to their lowest level since 2024.
Sources say that OPEC+ is likely to continue with its planned production increase from October.
OPEC+ will proceed with a planned increase in oil production from October as Libyan outages, and pledged reductions by some members, to compensate for the overproduction, counteract the impact of sluggish consumer demand, according to six sources within the producer group. Eight OPEC+ member countries are expected to increase their output by 180,000 barrels a day in October as part of a strategy to unwind the most recent layer (2.2 million bpd) of cuts while maintaining other cuts until end-2025.
Sources say that OPEC+ is likely to continue with its planned production increase from October.
OPEC+ will proceed with a planned increase in oil production from October as Libyan outages, and pledged reductions by some members, to compensate for the overproduction, counteract the impact of sluggish consumer demand, according to six sources within the producer group. Eight OPEC+ member countries are expected to increase their output by 180,000 barrels a day in October as part of a strategy to unwind the most recent layer (2.2 million bpd) of cuts while maintaining other cuts until end-2025.
Iranian Oil Exports End 2022 at a High, Despite No Nuclear Deal
Iranian oil exports hit new highs in the last two months of 2022 and are making a strong start to 2023 despite U.S. sanctions, according to companies that track the flows, on higher shipments to China and Venezuela.Tehran's oil exports have been limited since former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 exited a 2015 nuclear accord and reimposed sanctions aimed at curbing oil exports and the associated revenue to Iran's government.Exports have risen during the term of his successor President Joe Biden…
OPEC Sees Global Oil Demand Growth Slowing in 2023
World oil demand growth will slow in 2023, OPEC delegates and industry sources said, as surging crude and fuel prices help drive up inflation and act as a drag on the global economy.Fuel use has rebounded from the 2020 pandemic-induced slump and is set to exceed 2019 levels this year even as prices hit record highs. But high prices have eaten into growth projections for 2022 and fed into expectations for slower growth in 2023.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is expected to publish its first forecast for 2023 demand in July.
Asian Countries Looking to Release Oil Reserves after U.S. Request
The world's biggest economies said on Thursday they were looking into releasing oil from their strategic reserves, following a rare request from the United States for a coordinated move to cool global energy prices.The U.S. move reflects frustration with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies such as Russia who have rebuffed Washington's requests to speed up oil production as the world economy rebounds from the pandemic.It also comes as U.S.
Oil Rises to 11-month High
Oil hit an 11-month high just below $57 a barrel on Tuesday, bolstered by Saudi Arabia's plans to limit supply, offsetting worries that rising coronavirus cases globally would curtail fuel demand.Brent crude settled up 92 cents, or 1.7%, at $56.58 a barrel by after touching its highest level since last February at $56.75. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 96 cents, or 1.8%, to $53.28.Saudi Arabia plans to cut output by an extra 1…
Iran's Oil Storage Almost Full as Sanctions and Pandemic Weigh
Iran has slashed crude oil production to its lowest level in four decades as storage tanks and vessels are almost completely full due to a fall in exports and refinery run cuts caused by the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed.Total onshore crude stocks surged to 54 million barrels in April from 15 million barrels in January, and swelled further to 63 million barrels in June, according to FGE Energy.Market intelligence firm Kpler…
OPEC Production in June Cut by 1.25 mbpd
OPEC has cut oil output in June by 1.25 million barrels per day (bpd) from May levels as it works to implement a supply restraint agreement with Russia and other allies, according to estimates from tanker-tracking company Petro-Logistics.OPEC and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed to cut supply by a record 9.7 million bpd from May 1 to offset an oil price and demand slump triggered by the coronavirus crisis.
OPEC, Russia Extend Record Oil Cuts
OPEC, Russia, and allies agreed on Saturday to extend record oil production cuts until the end of July, prolonging a deal that has helped crude prices double in the past two months by withdrawing almost 10% of global supplies from the market.The group, known as OPEC+, also demanded countries such as Nigeria and Iraq, which exceeded production quotas in May and June, compensate with extra cuts in July to September.OPEC+ had initially agreed…
