Meet the New King, Same as the Old King: Price-Crushing Oil Policy Stands
By Maher Chmaytelli Jan 23, 2015 6:19 AM ET
King Salman, Saudi Arabia’s new ruler, will keep Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi in his post, bolstering expectations that he will continue the policy of maintaining crude output to preserve market share even as prices have plunged.
Salman, 79, issued a royal decree to retain current ministers, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. Al-Naimi led OPEC’s Nov. 27 decision to maintain its crude production even as shale supplies spurred U.S. output to the highest in three decades. Salman said on Saudi national television that he will maintain the policies of his predecessor.
With production of 9.5 million barrels a day and exports of 7 million, Saudi Arabia accounts for more than a 10th of global supply and a fifth of crude sold internationally. The country’s refusal to surrender market share to rising U.S. output has contributed to the worst slump in prices since the global credit crisis of 2008.
“The Saudi leadership has already taken the tough decision to live with lower oil prices,” Florence Eid-Oakden, chief economist at London-based consultants Arabia Monitor, said by phone. “Naimi is well established, he is respected and there shouldn’t be a change as long as the current cabinet is in place.”
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-23/saudi-arabia-s-new-king-seen-sticking-with-oil-production.html
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