OPEC Agrees to Increase Oil Supply by 500,000 Barrels Per Day Ahead of Surge in Demand

OPEC and allies finally agreed to ease their 7.7 million barrels per day production cut by 500,000 barrels per day starting from January 2021.

This will now bring the oil cartel’s total production cuts to 7.2 million barrels per day starting from next year.

Oil prices rose after the news as the market believed the approval of Pfizer COVID-19 in the United Kingdom will kick start a series of approvals and helped restore confidence, increase business activities and demand for the commodity across the globe.

After the outcome of the meeting was made public on Thursday, Brent Crude Oil against which Nigerian oil is priced gained 1.35 percent on Friday after gaining 1.4 percent on Thursday to $49.37 per barrel at 11.35 am Nigerian time on Friday.

The US West Texas Intermediate gained 1.29 percent to $46.23 barrel on Friday.

“500,000 bpd from January is not the nightmare scenario that the market feared, but it is not what was really expected weeks ago,” said Rystad Energy senior oil markets analyst Paola Rodriguez Masiu. “Markets are now reacting positively and prices are recording a small increase as 500,000 of extra supply is not deadly for balances,” she added.

Investors King increased business sentiment in the energy sector to boost investment, increase activity in the sector and most important improve crude oil demand enough to accommodate the 500,000 barrels per day extra that would be hitting the global market starting from January.