In This Article:
-
The influential oil cartel is meeting at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, with the aim of reaching an accord over production levels for the next six months.
-
OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia has been leading calls for the group to trim output, amid surging supply and fears that an economic slowdown will erode fuel demand.
Oil prices snapped lower Thursday morning after Saudi Arabia's energy minister said that a cut of 1 million barrels per day would be enough for OPEC and its allied oil producers.
The influential oil cartel is meeting at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, with the aim of reaching an accord over production levels for the next six months. OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia has been leading calls for the group to trim output, amid surging supply and fears that an economic slowdown will erode fuel demand.
The oil-rich kingdom had indicated previously that it wanted the group to curb output by at least 1.3 million barrels per day. However, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told reporters Thursday morning that a cut of 1 million barrels would be sufficient.
Oil market watchers were expecting a supply cut of around 1.2 million to 1.4 million barrels per day, and Al-Falih's comments caused prices to slide.
International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $59.65 a barrel at around 10:00 a.m. London time, down around 3 percent for the session, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $51.33, more than 2.8 percent lower.
This is a breaking news story, please check back later for more.
—Reuters contributed to this article.
More From CNBC