OPEC oil output rose in December, as increases in Iraq, Angola and Nigeria offset ongoing cuts by Saudi Arabia and other members of the wider OPEC+ alliance in support of the market

OPEC+ plans to hold a meeting of its Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) in early February, though an exact date has not been decided

This trend implies that the group may encounter challenges in easing production cuts unless there is a significant acceleration in global oil demand or OPEC is willing to accept lower prices

OPEC said it remains cautiously optimistic about the fundamentals of the oil market for 2024 and blamed ‘exaggerated concerns’ about demand for the recent price drop, while sticking to its relatively high prediction of crude consumption for next year

OPEC’s oil production fell in November, marking the first monthly decline since July, according to a Reuters survey, due to lower shipments from Nigeria and Iraq amid ongoing cuts by Saudi Arabia and other members

The oil production cuts by OPEC+ can “absolutely” continue beyond the first quarter of 2024 if necessary, said Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman

OPEC+ members reached an agreement to voluntarily cut their oil production by around 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) at the beginning of next year, led by Saudi Arabia, which will extend its current voluntary reduction

Russia has not discussed with the OPEC+ group of leading oil producers a possible crude oil supply increase to compensate for Russia’s fuel exports ban, the Kremlin said

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman defended OPEC+ cuts to oil market supply, saying international energy markets need light-handed regulation to limit volatility

According to the report, OPEC expects that global oil demand will rise by 2.25 million barrels per day in 2024, compared to the growth of 2.44 million bpd in 2023