Oil prices eased, but were set for a sixth week of gains as progress towards novel coronavirus vaccination programmes fed hopes that demand for fuel would rebound next year

OPEC and Russia agreed to slightly ease their deep oil output cuts from January by 500,000 barrels per day but failed to find a compromise on a broader and longer term policy for the rest of next year

OPEC and Russia have moved closer to a compromise over oil supply policy for 2021 after talks earlier this week failed to yield a decision on how to tackle weak oil demand

OPEC oil output rose for a fifth month in November, a Reuters survey found, as increased Libyan production offset full adherence by other producers to cuts agreed in an OPEC-led supply deal

OPEC+ members will consider whether to extend existing oil cuts for three to four months or to gradually increase output from January during their two days of talks

US oil stockpiles climbed last week on rising gasoline inventories as lockdown measures in parts of the US to curb the virus kept a lid on fuel demand

Brent crude oil futures’ spreads in 2021 have narrowed significantly as demand from Asia has been strong and markets remained hopeful that OPEC and its allies could extend their output cuts

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia will stick to its obligations under the deal with the OPEC on oil output cuts

OPEC and allies including Russia are leaning towards postponement of a planned January increase to oil output by at least three months to support prices as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its second wave

China’s crude oil throughput rose 2.6% in October from a year earlier to hit a record high as fuel demand firmed on strong holiday travel