Saudi Arabia to remain cautious on oil output

Saudi Arabia to remain cautious on oil output

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister reiterated that the kingdom will remain cautious about raising oil production, even as several prominent analysts say rising demand will soon trigger a jump in prices. “I will believe it when I see it and then take action,” Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said in Riyadh. The minister, speaking to energy historian Daniel Yergin, said OPEC+ had been proved correct with its decision in October to cut output by two million barrels a day. The move caused a fallout with the US, which said the world economy needed higher crude supplies, though tensions have since eased. “If people had trusted us then, we wouldn’t have undergone the trepidations that happened,” he said, referring to a spike in prices to almost $100 a barrel after OPEC+ - a 23-nation group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia - announced its move. The alliance’s market-monitoring committee met on Wednesday and recommended keeping crude production steady amid uncertainty over the strength of China’s economic rebound and the volume of Russian exports as Western nations tighten sanctions on Moscow. Brent soared to around $130 a barrel after Russia’s attack on Ukraine last February. It’s since slumped below $80 a barrel, with rising