Oil Pushes Above $54 A Barrel
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We're once again looking at a nice strong opening here in U.S. equity markets, on back of strong equities in Asia," said Addison Armstrong, director of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Conn. "The dollar is also little bit weaker here against the euro. All that is helping support crude."
Output cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries have helped establish a price floor near $50 a barrel. As the cartel's May 28 policy meeting nears, most members would support a decision to keep output quotas unchanged because prices have stabilized, an OPEC official said Monday. Countries holding favoring the status quo include Angola, the holder of OPEC's presidency, and Saudi Arabia, its largest producer, the person told Dow Jones Newswires.
At a March 15 meeting the group opted to keep the quotas unchanged, maintaining the 4.2 million barrels a day in cuts announced last year to counter falling demand and prices. A Dow Jones survey released Monday showed the cartel lowered crude production in April, increasing compliance to 84% from 83% the month before.
The survey estimates daily output by the group's 11 members with production quotas, which exclude Iraq, fell 0.18%, or 45,000 barrels a day, from the previous month to 25.55 million barrels a day.
"Production levels continue to be pretty much as we've seen them. There's still high discipline among Gulf producers," said Raja Kiwan, an analyst at PFC Energy.
Prices also got a boost from data showing China's manufacturing activity expanded in April as government stimulus measures took effect, signaling a potential rebound for oil demand in the world's third-largest economy. The CLSA China PMI rose to 50.1 in April from 44.8 in March, the first time since July it has been above 50.0. A reading above 50.0 indicates expansion, while a reading below signifies a contraction.