Business News

SINGAPORE, (APP/AFP) – Oil prices dipped in
Asia on Friday after Saudi Arabia’s oil minister cast doubt on the need to cut output, denting hopes for a deal at talks next month aimed at addressing a global supply glut.
The commodity rallied for seven straight sessions and entered a bull market
— a 20 percent rise from recent lows — last week after OPEC and Russia
announced plans to discuss the supply crisis, which has hammered the crude
market for more than two years.
Prices have taken a beating this week on concerns about the chances of
success at the Algeria meeting, but they turned higher Thursday when Iran said
it would join in, clearing up days of uncertainty over its attendance.
However, OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Khalid Al-Falih
revived worries about the success of the gathering.
In an interview, he told Bloomberg News: “I don’t believe that an
intervention of significance is required. I certainly don’t advocate a cut.”
But he added that a “freeze signifies that everybody is content with where
the market is today and they want it to be trending in that direction”.
At about 0410 GMT, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for October
delivery was down seven cents at $47.26, while North Sea Brent was down 11
cents at $49.56.
A previous OPEC attempt to freeze output collapsed in April largely because
of Iran’s refusal to join talks, having just emerged from international
sanctions and keen to maximise its oil revenues.
However, even if a deal is reached in Algeria, there are doubts about the
impact a production cap have on an already oversupplied market.
“Most of the OPEC countries are sending a signal that they’re open to
freezing production, but you have to remember that most of them are producing
at peak levels,” BMI Research oil and gas analyst Peter Lee told AFP.
“Even if producers come to an agreement, the freeze is at a very high
level.”
Lee added that he is “personally quite sceptical” about whether producers
can come to an agreement in Algiers.
“It’s not just the matter of a production freeze or a cap, but there are
geopolitical concerns involved too, especially when it comes to Iran and Saudi
Arabia,” he said.