“OPEC boosted crude output in April to the highest in five months as Saudi Arabia increased production, helping lower oil prices amid concern that global economic growth is slowing.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries produced 30.46 million barrels a day last month, up from 30.18 million in March, the group’s Vienna-based secretariat said today in its Monthly Oil Market Report. That’s the most since November. The estimates are based on secondary sources.
Brent crude slipped 7 percent last month as Europe struggled to move beyond its debt crisis and China’s growth and manufacturing showed signs of a slowdown. The drop brings prices closer to the $100-a-barrel target Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi described as “reasonable” for consumers and producers. Brent, the benchmark for more than half of the world’s oil, traded at about $104 today on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London.
“The continued decline in the eurozone, the significant deceleration in the first quarter in some of the Asian economies and the recently acknowledged slowdown in Russia all have the potential to again push growth down,” according to OPEC, which supplies about 40 percent of the world’s oil.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, pumped 9.27 million barrels a day in April, rising from 9.13 million in March, OPEC said. That’s the most since November and compares with the country’s own figure of 9.31 million barrels based on its direct communication with the group.
Fragile Recovery
Global oil demand is forecast to rise 800,000 barrels a day to 89.66 million barrels a day this year, little changed from last month’s estimate….”
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