Oil rises as Saudi surprises markets with supply cut

Bloomberg

Oil in New York posted the biggest weekly gain since June after Saudi Arabia surprised the market with a significant supply cut beyond what was agreed to with fellow Opec+ members.
WTI settled 1.3% higher after Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the country would continue its voluntary cut of 400,000 barrels a day. That brings total cuts implemented by the Opec and its allies to 2.1 million barrels a day, he said.
While Opec+ is taking 500,000 barrels a day out of the market, they are taking it out because demand isn’t there, he added.

“The comments are what drove the market up,” said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research in Winchester, Mass. “Total cuts are larger and substantially better than what the market was expecting.”
After the announcement, Prince Abdulaziz predicted that Saudi Aramco, which just completed an IPO at a valuation of $1.7 trillion, would soon soar above $2 trillion. The kingdom plans to pump 9.7 million barrels a day, he said. The additional supply reduction would take the kingdom’s production down to levels not seen on a sustained basis since 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Still, prices surrendered some of their early gains after the initial surge. “Investors have other concerns limiting the upside including what will come of trade over the weekend,” said Rob Haworth, who helps oversee $151 billion at US Bank Wealth Management in Seattle.
While Opec+ is taking 500,000 barrels a day out of the market, they are taking it out because demand isn’t there, he added. “They were crowded out by non-OPEC output, like U.S. output. So, it should be a more bearish scenario for prices.”
West Texas Intermediate for January delivery settled up 77 cents to $59.20 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The US benchmark rose 7.3% for the week.

Brent for February settlement gained $1 to $64.39 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe Exchange, registering the largest weekly gain since late October. The global benchmark traded at a $5.29 premium to WTI for the same month.