In a move to support oil prices, Saudi Arabia said Thursday it would extend its decision to cut oil production by one million barrels a day for another month, to September.
Oil prices have recovered strongly in recent weeks partly because of smaller stockpiles of fuel in the United States, but China’s tepid economic recovery has kept oil prices under pressure for most of the year.
Saudi leaders need oil prices to stay high because the money from energy sales pays for government spending and ambitious plans to diversify the country’s economy beyond petroleum and petroleum products.
The global Brent oil price, which climbed by 16 percent in July, rose less than 1 percent, to about $84 a barrel, after the Saudi announcement on Thursday.
The Saudi move could put additional pressure on U.S. gasoline prices, which have surged over the last month.
Persons:
Alexander Novak
Organizations:
Saudi, AAA, Reuters
Locations:
Saudi Arabia, United States, Saudi, Russia, China, India, Ukraine