Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it will keep its latest round of oil production cuts in place until December, putting moꦛre upwܫard pressure on oil prices which are trading near 10-month highs.
Key Takeaways
- Saudi Arabia extended a production cut of 1 million barrels per day until December.
- Crude oil prices are trading at the highest level in almost 10 months, and are up 30% from recent lows hit in June.
- Higher crude prices could translate to more expensive gas at the pump for U.S. households.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said Tuesday the kingdom is extending a production cut of 1 million barrels per day for another three months in an effort to boost prices. Saudi officials first cut production in July, reducing the country's daily output to 9 million barrels.
The supply cuts are on top of another 1.66 million barrels of cuts implemented by OPEC+ countries earlier this year, half a million of which came from Saudi Arabia.
The move will put further upward pressure on oil prices, which in recent weeks have risen to their highest in almost a year. OPEC+ production cuts have reduced global supply, while U.S. crude inventories have fallen steeply in recent weeks.
Brent crude—the international benchmark—traded above $90 per barrel on Tuesday for the first time since November, while WTI crude—the U.S. benchmark—was priced at $87 per barrel. That's up almost 30% from a recent low of $66.70 per barrel during the week ending March 17, and the highest since the week ending Nov. 11.
Higher crude prices could translate to more expensive gas at the pump for U.S. households. As of Tuesday, the average cost of a gallon of gas nationwide was $3.81, little changed from $3.79 a year ago, when oil prices were at a similar level.
U.S. gas prices hit an all-time high just above $5 per gallon last summer when soaring inflation and Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a surge in oil prices.