SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose on Wednesday after a report of declining US crude inventories and as producer club OPEC seemed to stick to its supply cuts despite pressure from US President Donald Trump.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were at $55.99 per barrel at 0600 GMT, up 49 cents, or 0.9 percent, from their last settlement.
International Brent crude futures were at $65.65 per barrel, up 44 cents, or 0.7 percent from their last close.
US crude oil inventories fell by 4.2 million barrels in the week to Feb. 22, to 444.3 million barrels, the American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated in a weekly report on Tuesday.
Official data will be released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) after 1800 GMT on Wednesday.
Oil markets have generally received support this year from supply curbs by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which together with some non-affiliated producers like Russia, known as OPEC+, agreed late last year to cut output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to prop up prices.
And the group has indicated it will continue to withhold supply despite pressure from Trump this week to stop artificially tightening markets.
“Crude oil futures bounced as OPEC members remained firm on planned production cuts despite heightened political pressure from US President Trump early this week,” said Benjamin Lu of Singapore-based brokerage Phillip Futures.
Trump tweeted on Monday that oil prices were getting too high for the global economy, asking OPEC to relax its supply cuts.
Despite the OPEC-led curbs, oil remains in ample supply as US crude production has risen by more than 2 million bpd over the past year, to a record 12 million bpd, and because demand growth is low due to a global economic slowdown and improving energy efficiency across industries.
“The OPEC+ production cuts have ... so far failed to create the tightness needed to support a continued rally,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Denmark’s Saxo Bank.
Oil prices rise as OPEC resists Trump pressure to ease supply cuts
Oil prices rise as OPEC resists Trump pressure to ease supply cuts
- Oil production cuts were received positively by the market and other non-OPEC producers
- Trump asked OPEC to decrease their cut supplies because of the increasing oil prices
The Family Office to host global investment summit in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH: The Family Office, one of the Gulf’s leading wealth management firms, will host its exclusive investment summit, “Investing Is a Sea,” from Jan. 29 to 31 on Shura Island along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.
The event comes as part of the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 initiative, reflecting efforts to position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for investment dialogue and strategic economic development.
The summit is designed to offer participants an immersive environment for exploring global investment trends and assessing emerging opportunities and challenges in a rapidly changing financial landscape.
Discussions will cover key themes including shifts in the global economy, the role of private markets in portfolio management, long-term investment strategies, and the transformative impact of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies on investment decision-making and risk management, according to a press release issued on Sunday.
Abdulmohsin Al-Omran, founder and CEO of The Family Office, will deliver the opening remarks, with keynote addresses from Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
The press release said the event reflects the firm’s commitment to institutional discipline, selective investment strategies, and long-term planning that anticipates economic cycles.
The summit will bring together prominent international and regional figures, including former UK Treasury Commercial Secretary Lord Jim O’Neill, Mohamed El-Erian, chairman of Gramercy Fund Management, Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, chairman of the editorial board at Al Arabiya, Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Dr. Amer Bisat, economist Nouriel Roubini of NYU Stern School of Business, Naim Yazbeck, president of Microsoft Middle East and Africa, John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global, Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon, MBE, co-founder of Stemettes, SRMG CEO Jomana R. Alrashed and other leaders in finance, technology, and investment.
With offices in Bahrain, Dubai, Riyadh, and Kuwait, and through its Zurich-based sister company Petiole Asset Management AG with a presence in New York and Hong Kong, The Family Office has established a reputation for combining institutional rigor with innovative, long-term investment strategies.
The “Investing Is a Sea” summit underscores Saudi Arabia’s growing role as a global center for financial dialogue and strategic investment, reinforcing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objective of fostering economic diversification and sustainable development.
