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Thursday, March 28, 2024

OPEC backs biggest oil cut since 2008 crisis, awaits Russia

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OPEC backs biggest oil cut since 2008 crisis, awaits Russia
OPEC backs biggest oil cut since 2008 crisis, awaits Russia

OPEC agreed on Thursday to cut oil output by an extra 1.5 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2020 to support prices that have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak, but made its action conditional on Russia and others joining in.

Yahaira Jacquez reports.

The world's top oil producers on Thursday agreed to deeper production cuts in a desperate effort to offset a slump in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDENT OF THE OPEC CONFERENCE AND ALGERIAN MINISTER OF ENERGY, MOHAMED ARKAB, SAYING: "We now convene at a time when the outbreak of Covid-19 has had a pronounced adverse impact on economic and oil demand forecast in 2020, particularly in the first and second quarters.

This underscores the fact that events in the oil markets are subject to uncertainties beyond the capacity of any individual stake holder to manage on their own." Meeting in Vienna, members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC, agreed to cut oil output by an extra 1.5 million barrels per day, while extending existing cuts of 2.1 million, which were set to expire this month.

But the deal is conditional on Russia and others joining in.

Saudi Arabia, the biggest OPEC producer, and other member states have struggled to persuade Russia to support the move.

Oil prices - which have tumbled by a fifth this year due to a glut in supplies, now made worse by the coronavirus outbreak - were volatile on the news.

The proposed cut, if approved - would be OPEC's deepest since the 2008 financial crisis.

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