Sorry Joe, that trip to Saudi Arabia didn’t result in more oil production

Sorry Joe, that trip to Saudi Arabia didn’t result in more oil production

I hope that President Joe Biden got a T-shirt on his August trip to Saudi Arabia. You know one that says “I went to Saudi Arabia and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” Because the U.S. President sure didn’t get a surge in OPEC oil production. In September the oil cartel plus Russia agreed on a piddling 100,000 barrel a day increase in production in response to pleas from President Biden and other Western leaders to an increase in oil production to combat soaring energy proved. On Sunday, OPEC took back that entire increase

Sorry Joe, that trip to Saudi Arabia didn’t result in more oil production

Oil falls on surprise build in U.S. inventories in spite of a shockingly small increase in production from OPEC+

As of 2 p.m. New York time today, August 3, U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude was down 3.30% to $91.30 a barrel. International benchmark Brent fell 3.07% to $97.45 a barrel.

The drop was a result of Wednesday data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showing that U.S. crude and gasoline inventories unexpectedly rose last week. U.S. crude supplies were up 4.5 million barrels in the week ended July 29, while gasoline supplies rose 200,000 barrels. This comes at a time when gasoline inventories usually fall on high seasonal demand. This report was, for the day, more than enough to offset the announcement of a smaller than expected increase in oil production by OPEC+ of just 100,000 barrels a day for September.

OPEC+ is in crisis again–but since no one knows quite what the result is likely to be, we’ve had big swings in sentiment and prices in the oil market (and in banks, other commodities, and the inflation/deflation play) today

OPEC+ is in crisis again–but since no one knows quite what the result is likely to be, we’ve had big swings in sentiment and prices in the oil market (and in banks, other commodities, and the inflation/deflation play) today

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its affiliated oil producers (OPEC+) abandoned their Monday meeting after days of tense talks failed to result in an agreement on a tentative deal to increase production, and even over how to measure production. The disagreement between Saudi Arabia snd the United Arab Emirates was so heated that OPEC+ couldn’t even agree on a date for its next meeting. When these two countries last clashed in December 2020, the UAE talked of leaving OPEC. Oil prices initially jumped to its highest level in more than six years on news that OPEC+ had failed to agree to increase production. But prices then fell as traders speculated that the failure to reach an agreement on production increases would result in unplanned increases in production.