Oil prices edge up as Saudi cuts output, but looming demand slowdown drags

OPEC's monthly report published on Monday, which uses data from secondary sources, confirmed the Saudi cut, which traders said triggered crude's upward move early on Tuesday.

By: Reuters | Singapore | Published: August 14, 2018 7:45:42 am

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 32 cents, or 0.5 percent, at .52 per barrel.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday after a report from OPEC confirmed that top exporter Saudi Arabia had cut production to avert looming oversupply. Front-month Brent crude oil futures were at $72.87 per barrel at 0111 GMT, up 26 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last close.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 32 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $67.52 per barrel. In July, Saudi Arabia told the producer group of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that it had cut production by 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 10.288 million bpd.

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OPEC’s monthly report published on Monday, which uses data from secondary sources, confirmed the Saudi cut, which traders said triggered crude’s upward move early on Tuesday. That came despite the Saudi move coming in anticipation of a slowdown in oil demand. The OPEC report said it expected world oil demand to grow by 1.43 million bpd in 2019, down from 1.64 million bpd in 2018.

OPEC said the demand slowdown would come on the back of potentially lower economic growth as a result of trade disputes between the United States and China as well as emerging market turmoil. Despite this, OPEC said overall oil demand would likely remain healthy.