Oil prices slide amid OPEC+ production cuts meeting uncertainty

4 Jun, 2020 14:49

Major global oil producers could still hold a ministerial video conference this week if Iraq and other non-complying OPEC+ members promise to deepen their production cuts, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing its sources.

A ministerial conference could be called at short notice this week if there was an agreement, the sources said, adding that a meeting on Friday could be arranged.  

OPEC and non-OPEC allies were originally scheduled to review their production cuts on June 9-10. However, Algeria, which currently holds the rotating OPEC presidency, proposed last month to bring the meeting forward.

On Wednesday TASS reported, citing sources, that the key OPEC+ producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia, have agreed to extend the maximum level of production within the alliance by at least one month.

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Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday that the global oil market could face a shortage of three to five million barrels per day in July, depending on the deal reached by OPEC+.

In April, the international oil producing alliance OPEC+ agreed to reduce supply by a combined 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) during May and June. The move was designed to prop up crude prices as the Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented collapse in energy demand. Production cuts began on May 1 and are set to run through to the end of June.

Crude prices climbed in recent weeks, recovering from a dramatic fall in April which saw Brent futures hover close to 20-year lows and US WTI tumble into negative territory for the first time in history.

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The international benchmark was trading 0.8 percent lower as of 14:36 GMT on Thursday, at $39.44 a barrel. US crude tumbled 1.4 percent to $36.75.

According to analysts at S&P Global Platts, Brent crude prices “may find some pockets of support” in the range of $35 to $40 a barrel in June.

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