Oil falls as OPEC+ resumes output cut extension talks after impasse

Oil falls as OPEC+ resumes output cut extension talks after impasse

TOKYO/LONDON - Oil prices fell on Thursday as producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia locked horns over the need to extend record production cuts set in place during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.Brent crude was down 26 cents, or 0.54%, at $47.99 a barrel by 0950 GMT, after gaining 1.08% on Wednesday. U.S. oil fell 33 cents, or 0.73%, to $44.95 a barrel, having ended the previous session 1.6% higher.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, are resuming discussions on Thursday to agree on policies for 2021 after earlier talks produced no compromise on how to tackle weak oil demand amid a new coronavirus wave.Two OPEC+ sources told Reuters on Thursday the group was leaning towards an oil cuts rollover with a gradual increase in output over the coming months. OPEC+ had been widely expected to roll over oil cuts of 7.7 million barrels per day, or 8 percent of global supplies, at least until March 2021.But after hopes for a speedy approval of COVID-19 vaccines spurred a rally in oil prices at the end of November, some producers questioned the need to tighten oil policy, which is supported by