Oil up over 2 percent as OPEC raises output modestly

Reuters  |  LONDON 

By Christopher Johnson

Benchmark Brent crude jumped $2.29 a barrel, or 3.1 percent, to a high of $75.34 before slipping to around $74.60 by 1345 GMT. U.S. light crude was $1.90 higher at $67.44.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, meeting in Vienna, agreed on Friday to boost output from July after its de facto leader persuaded arch-rival to cooperate in efforts to reduce the crude price and avoid a supply shortage.

The group agreed OPEC and its allies led by should increase production by about 1 million barrels per day (bpd), or 1 percent of global supply, OPEC sources said.

The real increase will be smaller because several countries that recently underproduced will struggle to return to full quotas, while other producers may not be able to fill the gap.

The deal looked to be broadly in line with expectations.

Analysts had expected OPEC to announce a real increase in production of 500,000 to 600,000 barrels per day (bpd), which would help ease tightness in the market without creating a glut.

"The effective increase in output can easily be absorbed by the market," Harry Tchilinguirian, at French BNP Paribas, told the Global Oil Forum.

have been on a roller-coaster ride over the last few years, with the international marker, Brent, trading above $100 a barrel for several years until 2014, dropping to almost $26 in 2016 and then recovering to over $80 last month.

The most recent price rally followed an OPEC decision to restrict supply in an effort to drain global inventories.

The group started withholding supply in 2017 and this year, amid strong demand, the market tightened significantly, triggering calls by consumers for higher supply.

Falling production in and Libya, as well as the risk of lower output from as a result of U.S. sanctions, have all increased market worries of a supply shortage.

Another big uncertainty for oil is the escalating dispute between the and its trading partners, which could hit U.S. to

Asian shares hit a six-month low on Friday as tariffs and the U.S.-trade battle start taking their toll.

If a 25 percent duty on U.S. crude imports is implemented by Beijing, American oil would become uncompetitive in China, forcing it to seek buyers elsewhere.

Chinese buyers are already starting to scale back orders, with a drop in supplies expected from September.

(Additional reporting by in Singapore; Editing by David Evans, and Jan Harvey)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, June 22 2018. 21:03 IST