Benjamin Lowy/Getty Images
- Oil prices surged by more than 5% after OPEC and its allies reportedly agreed to keep output levels steady.
- Saudi Arabia committed to sticking with a voluntary oil supply cut of 1 million barrels per day.
- The supply decision by OPEC+ is “incredibly bullish” for the oil market, says one analyst.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Oil prices soared Thursday in the wake of reports that major oil producers have agreed to keep their supply cuts intact through next month.
OPEC and its allies had been discussing whether or not to restore as much as 1.5 million barrels a day of oil production. The group ultimately decided that it will leave output at current levels, according to a Bloomberg report.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, committed to extend its voluntary cut of 1 million barrels of oil per day. The oil market officials meet via video-conference. The discussion took place at a time when recovery in the oil market is still taking hold after a plunge in demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prices for Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped as much as 5.3% to an intraday high of $67.47, with the gain later trimmed to 4.7%.
The decision by OPEC+ was “incredibly bullish,” and Saudi Arabia’s decision “was shocking as it leaves them vulnerable to losing market share next month when the oil market is in deficit by a couple million barrels,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda, in a note.
West Texas Intermediate oil futures also popped up as much as 5.3% to an intraday high of $64.51. The continuous contract was later up by 4.6%.
The Energy Select Sector SPDR exchange-traded fund climbed 3.8% and the United States Oil Fund, a popular oil ETF, moved up 6%.