Saudi Aramco cut the price of its main oil grade to buyers in Asia after OPEC+ continued with its outsized output increases for a third month.
The Saudis led the producer group over the weekend in agreeing to raise production by 411,000 barrels a day in July, a third straight month of outsized hikes. In tandem with US President Donald Trump’s trade war, the supply increases have helped drive benchmark oil prices about 12% lower in London since early April.
State producer Aramco will cut the price for Arab Light crude, its flagship grade, by 20 cents a barrel to $1 a barrel more than the regional benchmark for Asian customers, a price list seen by Bloomberg shows. The decrease is nevertheless smaller than a 35-cents-a-barrel reduction anticipated in a survey of refiners and traders.
After surprising markets in April with the announcement of a bigger-than-planned output hike, the Saudis have kept pressing for more oil. The step aims to win back market share and takes away some of the advantage of a handful of OPEC+ members who’ve overproduced. Russia, which at times has exceeded its quota, was among those pushing for a more moderate supply hike in July.
Refiners have continued to enjoy healthy margins for products as many countries move into a higher summer demand period.
Still, crude stockpiles are starting to increase, indicating supply is outweighing demand, and refinery profits slipped at the end of last month.