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OPEC+ expected to announce sizeable production quota cut. This doesn’t necessarily mean the group will cut production

By: Harry Altham, Energy Analyst, Market Analysis EMEA & Asia

OPEC+ expected to announce sizeable production quota cut. This doesn’t necessarily mean the group will cut production 
 
Harry Altham
Energy Analyst, EMEA & Asia

The oil benchmarks have made a quieter but firm start to Tuesday, after a day in which WTI rose by 2.7% ahead of tomorrow’s OPEC+ meeting in which delegates are expected to announce another output cut in the attempt to achieve Saudi Arabia’s $90/bbl price objective. There are reports that the cut could be as much as 1M bbd for November (according to unnamed delegates), which some commentators believe may yet be insufficient in securing the aforementioned price target. An empirical approach to the present fundamentals leads us to believe benchmark WTI should be trading in the $75-$80 range, although the current unpredictability within the market brings a warranted volatility premium (not forgetting liquidity as well). It therefore stands to reason that OPEC+, while analysing the market ahead of the decision, will see an output cut as being justified within current market conditions. We expect price action to occur in the event of a deviation from a 1M bbd production cut; watch out for the psychological resistance marker of $90 for the December Brent contract.  

image 51165
Source: Bloomberg
GLOBAL CRUDE EXPORTS REMAIN STABLE IN SEPTEMBER
Amidst the OPEC+ meeting, we saw global flows of crude oil remain stable for the month of September, with the largest single-country rise in exports coming from Brazil (430k bbd) due to prior refinery maintenance works in the country impacting August figures. Flows remained stable at 7.6M bbd out of Saudi Arabia, while output in the core OPEC countries is thought to have risen by 220k bbd to 29.9M bbd – well in excess of the 64k bbd target (although output is still 1.3M bbd below its overall objective). In the event of a 1M bbd production cut, we should still be expecting OPEC countries to seek a production rise to achieve long-term targets due to that existing deficit, particularly during the month of October. However, OPEC’s spare capacity is increasingly limited (a view which was reiterated today in comments by Aramco CEO Amin Nasser), so it may not be until December that OPEC+ views the market as being fully ‘under control’ (although China’s possible reopening is a considerable threat here). 
RUSSIAN FAR EAST EXPORTS SUFFERING
Observed Russian exports of Russia’s Sokol Oil have fallen to zero for a fourth consecutive month, which is now expected to rise to five as scheduled loadings of the blend at the Port of De Kastri remain flat for October. There had been hope for a 700k bbl purchase by Bharat Petroleum (India), but ship-tracking data indicates that trade never materialised as hoped in September. With an API gravity of 39.7 and a sulphur content of 0.18%, Sokol is comparable to WTI Midland and yields high quantities of gasoline and naphtha for the Asia petrochemicals market. Sokol oil is viewed as being of better quality than the neighbouring Russian ESPO blend but has significantly reduced export capacity and has been affected by Exxon’s ongoing attempt to “transition” its 30% stake in the Sakhalin 1 project to another entity in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, ESPO exports fell by 17% to 733k bbd in September, although this was largely due to the remnants of Typhoon Nanmadol, which struck Japan in mid September. With Arctic exports falling by 27% to nine-year lows (falling purchases from Europe and longer cargo journeys affecting the economics), we believe our prior assertion that Russian exports look set for a tough winter ahead appears to be materialising (this could affect around 2M bbd of Russian production in early 2023). 
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Source: Bloomberg, StoneX

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