Crude oil prices ended mixed as OPEC and Russia gave mixed signals about further cuts to crude production to stabilise oil prices
โดยทีมวิเคราะห์ตลาดต่างประเทศ บริษัท ปตท. จำกัด (มหาชน)
- The OPEC+ Joint Technical Committee is reportedly to have recommended a cut to production of its members and other allies of 600,000 barrels a day. A news report said the recommendation calls for that cut to begin in April and run through June. However, one key ally and member of OPEC+, Russia, is said to have expressed its reluctance for deeper reductions to global output.
Late on Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavro said Russia supports the recommendation to deepened cuts. "We support this idea," Lavrov said when asked about the panel's proposal at a news conference in Mexico City. The Joint Technical Committee advises the OPEC+ group but makes no decisions.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it was too early to say that China's coronavirus outbreak was peaking, but noted that the country had recorded its first day of a drop in the number of new infections. "We are still in the middle of an intense outbreak. There are cycles of transmission, and we may see those cases increase in the coming days. But at least for the moment, things are stable," WHO’s top emergencies expert Dr Mike Ryan told a news conference. "But 4,000 cases or nearly, 3,700 coronavirus cases confirmed in a single day, is nothing to celebrate and is certainly still a great worry," he said.
- China's finance ministry said in a statement on Thursday that additional tariffs levied on some U.S. goods will be cut to 5% from 10% and others lowered to 2.5% from 5% starting February 14th. The products affected by the new rule are among $75 billion of goods hit by Chinese tariffs of 5% to 10% tariffs that came into effect on Sept. 1. In a separate statement, the finance ministry said the tariff reduction corresponds with those announced by the United States on Chinese goods that are also scheduled for Feb. 14. The ministry said further adjustments would depend on the development of the bilateral economic and trade situation.