PARIS: Oil prices may have rebounded off 12-year lows struck last month, but any hope for a broader recovery in the market would be misplaced, the IEA said Tuesday, noting OPEC is responsible for the latest glut of supplies on the market.
The International Energy Agency said in its monthly report that "it is very hard to see how oil prices can rise significantly in the short term ... with the market already awash in oil..."
On the contrary, it said "...the short term risk to the downside has increased".
Crude prices collapsed from over $100 per barrel in July 2014 to under $30 last month on a slowdown in Chinese growth and as the OPEC oil cartel stepped up output in an attempt to force out higher-cost production.
While low oil prices are usually good for oil consuming nations and global economic activity, investors have uncharacteristically in recent months begun to take the oil price as a proxy for economic demand, roiling global markets in volatility.
After the price for the main international oil contract struck a low below $28 last month, it rebounded to above $35 and now sits around $33.
But the IEA said "before victory over the bearish forces is declared we should look at the main factors driving the optimism".
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.