New York: Oil prices could climb well into triple-digit territory by next year if Russia and Saudi Arabia do notunwind their aggressive supply cuts, warns investment bank Goldman Sachs.
The Wall Street bank had already factored in the possibility of high oil prices long beforeRussia and Saudi Arabia announced, earlier this week, that they were extendingproduction cutsthrough the end of 2023, CNN reported.
That announcement lifted Brent crude oil above $91 a barrel for the first time in 10 months.
Brent crude is the world’s oil price benchmark and is produced in the North Sea.
Goldman Sachs had forecast Brent oil to be $86 in December and $93 at the end of 2024.
Now, the banksays it sees “two bullish risks” to its prediction.
First, Goldman Sachs expects Saudi oil supply to be 500,000 barrels per day smaller than previously anticipated. That alone should add $2 to the per-barrel price of oil.
Secondly, the bank warned that some of its assumptions for oil production may be incorrect if the OPEC+ cut extensions continue.
It had expected that in January the countries would bring back half of the 1.7 million barrel per day cut that was announced in April, CNN reported.
Now the bank is floating the possibility of an even longer extension.
–IANS