OPEC+ expected to stick to output hike as oil prices bounce back

Oil markets faltered earlier in August as the resurgent pandemic threatened demand, but prices have since recovered.

OPEC and its allies are expected to press on with their planned revival of oil production when they meet next week, as prices bounce back from their August stumble. The coalition led by Saudi Arabia and Russia is gradually restoring the vast amount of crude production halted during the pandemic, and will probably ratify the next monthly installment when it gathers on Sept. 1, according to a Bloomberg survey of traders and analysts. Several OPEC+ delegates privately predict the same outcome. Crude markets faltered earlier this month as the resurgent pandemic threatened demand in China and the U.S. But prices have since recovered after fuel use proved resilient to the latest coronavirus wave, giving the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners more breathing space.