Letter on OPEC: OPEC’s ‘elastic’ supply problem
A high-price market management strategy will continue to prove difficult until demand makes a strong recovery
The world finally showed signs of recovery from the Covid-19 crisis in 2023. People started driving and flying to faraway business and holiday destinations. The expected ‘hard landing’ of the global economy has, most likely, been avoided. Stock valuations are higher than ever, and the US Federal Reserve may start cutting rates as early as March. For the first time, demand for oil exceeded the pre-pandemic record of 101m b/d in 2019. The IEA estimated that the world consumed 0.1m b/d more last year, with expectation of further growth of 1.4m b/d this year and another 1.3m b/d in 2025. So, with all the good news out there, why is OPEC still struggling to support oil prices? The first reason is
Also in this section
24 January 2025
Domestic companies in Nigeria and other African jurisdictions are buying assets from existing majors they view as more likely to deliver production upside under their stewardship
23 January 2025
The end of transit, though widely anticipated, leaves Europe paying a third more for gas than a year ago and greatly exposed to supply shocks
23 January 2025
The country’s government and E&P companies are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to increase domestic crude output as BP–ONGC tie-up leads the way
22 January 2025
The return of Donald Trump gives further evidence of ‘big oil’ as an investable asset, with the only question being whether anyone is really surprised