Oil Prices Rise on Saudi, Russian Voluntary Production Cuts

A drilling rig in the Hasaba oil field, 150 kilometers north of Jubail Industrial City (Aramco website)
A drilling rig in the Hasaba oil field, 150 kilometers north of Jubail Industrial City (Aramco website)
TT

Oil Prices Rise on Saudi, Russian Voluntary Production Cuts

A drilling rig in the Hasaba oil field, 150 kilometers north of Jubail Industrial City (Aramco website)
A drilling rig in the Hasaba oil field, 150 kilometers north of Jubail Industrial City (Aramco website)

Oil prices rose on Tuesday after Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's biggest oil exporters, deepened oil cuts on Monday.

Saudi Arabia said it would extend its voluntary oil output cut of one million barrels per day (bpd) for another month to include August, adding that the cut could be extended beyond that month.

Also, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow would cut its oil exports by 500,000 barrels per day in August.

Ricardo Evangelista, an analyst at ActivTrades financial brokerage firm, attributed the rise in oil prices during Tuesday's session to market traders' optimism following Saudi Arabia's announcement of extending the decision to reduce oil production rates until August, in addition to the Russian cuts.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said that the future outlook for oil demand rates remains uncertain, clouded by the lingering uncertainty surrounding the global economic recovery.

Later, Algeria said it would cut oil output by an extra 20,000 barrels from Aug. 1-31 to support efforts by Saudi Arabia and Russia to balance and stabilise oil markets, its energy ministry said.

The voluntary cut will be on top of a 48,000 barrel reduction decided in April, it said.

Libyan Oil Minister Mohamed Oun said his country welcomed the Saudi decision which will have "positive impact on market balance between global producers, consumers, and on global economy".

Brent crude futures were up 0.6%, or 43 cents, at $75.84 a barrel by 11:52 a.m. EDT (1652 GMT). US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.6%, or 39 cents, to $71.03. During Friday's session, Brent 0.8% and WTI rose 1.1%.

"The kingdom's production for the month of August 2023 will be approximately 9 million barrels per day," Saudi state news agency SPA quoted an official source from the Ministry of Energy as saying.

"This additional voluntary cut comes to reinforce the precautionary efforts made by OPEC+ countries with the aim of supporting the stability and balance of oil markets," the SPA official source was quoted as saying.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
TT

China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.