The anatomy of a 'supply crunch'
Market forces, Trump's tweets and the latest Opec+ agreement have helped shape global supply in recent months
Early this summer, Opec scrapped its commitment to supply restraint, reversing a long-held policy of keeping markets tight as part of an effort to maintain a price floor. US President Donald Trump had turned up the pressure on the organisation's heavyweights through a series of tweets. "Oil prices are too high, Opec is at it again. Not good!" he Tweeted. Saudi Arabia, for its part, affirmed it would raise output, as crude oil prices reached heights not seen since the heady days of 2014. On the face of it, Trump appeared to have succeeded in twisting Riyadh’s arm to release more barrels onto the market and take the edge off prices surging past $80 a barrel. An Opec ministerial meeting in V
Also in this section
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
