Saudi Energy Minister Warnings to Speculators Highlighted Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman upon his arrival at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna (AFP)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman upon his arrival at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna (AFP)
TT

Saudi Energy Minister Warnings to Speculators Highlighted Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman upon his arrival at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna (AFP)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman upon his arrival at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna (AFP)

The OPEC+ countries seek to maintain the stability of oil markets at their meeting on Sunday amid global economic turmoil and uncertainty surrounding global economic and political prospects.

Last week, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman warned "short sellers" against betting on oil prices falling, saying they should watch out.

Ministers of OPEC and its allies began their two-day meetings on Saturday at the organization's headquarters in Vienna.

Reuters quoted unnamed sources saying that the OPEC+ alliance will discuss possible options, including additional oil cuts.

OPEC+ pumps around 40 percent of the world's crude, meaning its policy decisions can significantly impact oil prices.

Several countries in the coalition had announced voluntary cuts of 1.6 million barrels per day last April, in addition to the two million barrels per day that had been previously reduced. The decision took effect in May.

The surprise output announcement in April helped to drive oil prices about $9 per barrel higher to above $87, but they swiftly retreated, under pressure from concerns about global economic growth and demand. On Friday, the international benchmark Brent settled at $76.

However, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said he did not expect any new steps from the OPEC+ group at its meeting in Vienna on June 4, according to Russian media.

"This figure is premature, and these matters have not yet been addressed."

Western countries have accused OPEC of manipulating oil prices and undermining the global economy by raising energy costs.

The West also accused OPEC of being too biased toward Russia, despite sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters indicated that OPEC officials said the West's money-printing over the last decade exacerbated inflation and forced oil-producing nations to take measures to preserve the value of the leading commodity among their exports.

Asian countries like China and India bought the lion's share of Russia's oil exports and refused to join Western sanctions against Russia.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said that there is an aspiration for a resolution that guarantees a sustainable balance of supply and demand.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global oil demand to rise further in the second half of 2023, potentially boosting oil prices.

Analysts at JPMorgan, however, said OPEC needed to act more quickly to adjust supply to record high levels of US output and higher-than-expected Russian exports.

"There is simply too much supply," the JPMorgan analysts said in a note, adding that extra cuts could amount to around one million bpd.



Trump to Take Virtual Center Stage in Davos

Davos will finally hear from the man himself during a live video appearance, with CEOs given the chance to lob questions at Donald Trump. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
Davos will finally hear from the man himself during a live video appearance, with CEOs given the chance to lob questions at Donald Trump. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
TT

Trump to Take Virtual Center Stage in Davos

Davos will finally hear from the man himself during a live video appearance, with CEOs given the chance to lob questions at Donald Trump. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
Davos will finally hear from the man himself during a live video appearance, with CEOs given the chance to lob questions at Donald Trump. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Donald Trump on Thursday will star in an eagerly-anticipated online appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, addressing global elites whose annual gabfest has been consumed by the US president's days-old second term.
Trump's name has come up in almost every conversation in the Swiss Alpine village this week: in formal panel discussions, in shuttles ferrying people up and down the mountain, and in exclusive parties along the promenade.
"Trump is a provocateur. He enjoys being a provocateur, and many people at Davos are bored in their life. He's not boring. So, you know, it's kind of exciting," Harvard scholar and WEF regular Graham Allison told AFP.
Davos will finally hear from the man himself during a live video appearance, with CEOs given the chance to lob questions at Trump, himself a businessman who made his fortune in real estate.
He already gave Davos a taste of what is to come since his inauguration on Monday, which coincided with the WEF's first day: tariff threats against Mexico and Canada, the US withdrawal from the Paris climate pact, a threat to take the Panama Canal, just to name a few.
His plans to cut taxes, reduce the size of the federal government and deregulate industries will find a sympathetic ear amongst many businesses.
"Trump has been running America like America Inc. He's been very focused on getting the best advantage for the US in any way that he can," Julie Teigland, a managing partner at EY consulting firm, told AFP.
"He knows that he needs trade partners to do that. He does. And so I expect him to give messages along these lines," she said.
'No winners'
His trade partners had a chance to react in Davos earlier this week.
Without invoking Trump's name, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang warned that "there are no winners in a trade war".
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to defend free trade but he took a conciliatory tone, saying that he had good earlier discussions with Trump.
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said that Brussels was ready to negotiate with Trump, but she also underscored the bloc's diverging policy with him on climate, saying it would stick by the Paris accord.
Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino dismissed Trump's claims to the Panama Canal, which was built by the United States but handed to the Central American country in 1999 under two-decade old treaties.
Mulino said he was "not worried" and that Panama would not be "distracted by this type of statement".
'Celebrate Trump'
The Republican president also has fans in Davos.
One of his biggest cheerleaders on the world stage, Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei, will make a speech to the WEF on Thursday, hours before Trump.
"The world should celebrate the arrival of President Trump," Milei said at a Bloomberg event on Wednesday.
"The golden era he proposes for the United States will shine a light for the whole world as it will spell the end of the woke ideology, which is doing so much harm to the planet," Milei said.
One of his backers in the business world, Marc Benioff, the chief executive of US tech firm Salesfoce, was also enthusiastic at the same Bloomberg chat.
"I'm very positive," he said. "I'm just looking forward to seeing what's going to happen. And it's a new day and, it's an exciting moment."