LONDON: OPEC+ has decided to proceed with a planned April oil output increase, the group said on Monday.
The increase is the first since 2022 from OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus Russia and other allies. Oil was trading 2 percent lower toward $71 a barrel at 1900 GMT.
Eight OPEC+ members that are making the group’s most recent layer of output cuts held a virtual meeting on Monday and agreed to proceed with the April increase, OPEC said. The increase is 138,000 barrels per day according to Reuters calculations.
“This gradual increase may be paused or reversed subject to market conditions,” OPEC said in a statement. “This flexibility will allow the group to continue to support oil market stability.”
Oil has been trading in a range of $70-$82 a barrel in recent weeks in anticipation of major changes to US sanctions on large oil producers Iran, Russia and Venezuela as well as US tariffs on China that could reduce demand.
Trump has renewed pressure on OPEC to bring down prices, which rallied to multi-month highs above $82 a barrel in January after Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden slapped new sanctions on Russia.
Since then prices have fallen on hopes Trump would help clinch a peace deal in the war between Russia and Ukraine and boost Russian oil flows. However, his plans to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero and the cancelation last week of a Chevron license to operate in Venezuela prevented prices from falling further.
The combination of those bullish and bearish factors made decision-making for April extremely complex, OPEC+ sources have said. They added that Trump’s plans for global tariffs could complicate the outlook even further.
OPEC+ has been cutting output by 5.85 million barrels per day, equal to about 5.7 percent of global supply, agreed in a series of steps since 2022 to support the market.
In December, OPEC+ extended its latest layer of cuts through the first quarter of 2025, pushing back the plan to begin raising output to April. The extension was the latest of several delays last year.
Based on the plan, the gradual unwinding of 2.2 million bpd of cuts — the most recent layer — begins in April with a monthly rise of 138,000 bpd.
OPEC+ to proceed with planned April oil output hike
https://arab.news/z245g
OPEC+ to proceed with planned April oil output hike
- The increase is the first since 2022 from OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus Russia and other allies
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes higher at 10,596
RIYADH: Saudi equities closed higher on Tuesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index rising 43.59 points, or 0.41 percent, to finish at 10,595.85, supported by broad-based buying and strength in select mid-cap stocks.
Market breadth was firmly positive, with 170 stocks advancing against 90 decliners, while trading activity saw 161.96 million shares change hands, generating a total value of SR3.39 billion.
Meanwhile, the MT30 Index closed higher, gaining 6.52 points, or 0.47 percent, to 1,399.11, while the Nomu Parallel Market Index edged marginally lower, slipping 3.33 points, or 0.01 percent, to 23,267.77.
Among the session’s top gainers, Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. surged 9.99 percent to close at SR26.20, while Saudi Cable Co. jumped 9.98 percent to SR147.70.
Cherry Trading Co. rose 4.18 percent to SR25.44, and United Carton Industries Co. advanced 4.09 percent to SR26.46.
Al Yamamah Steel Industries Co. also posted solid gains, climbing 4.07 percent to end at SR32.70.
On the downside, Emaar The Economic City led losses, slipping 3.55 percent to SR10.32, followed by Derayah REIT Fund, which fell 2.92 percent to SR5.31.
Derayah Financial Co. declined 2.13 percent to SR26.62, while United International Holding Co. retreated 1.96 percent to SR155.20, and Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. eased 1.92 percent to SR10.70.
On the announcements front, Red Sea International Co. said it signed a SR202.8 million contract with Webuild S.P.A. to provide integrated facilities management services for the Trojena project at Neom.
The agreement covers operations and maintenance for the project’s Main Camp and Spike Camp, including accommodation and housekeeping, catering, security, IT and communications, utilities, waste management, fire safety and emergency response, as well as other supporting services.
The contract runs for two years, with the financial impact expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026. Shares of Red Sea International closed up 0.99 percent at SR34.74.
Al Moammar Information Systems Co. disclosed that it received an award notification from Humain to design and build a data center dedicated to artificial intelligence technologies, with a total value exceeding 155 percent of the company’s 2024 revenue, inclusive of VAT.
The contract is expected to be formally signed in February 2026, underscoring the scale of the project and its potential impact on the company’s future revenues.
MIS shares ended the session 2.82 percent higher at SR156.70, reflecting positive investor sentiment following the announcement.
