MELBOURNE- Oil prices dropped on Thursday, reversing gains in the previous session, on concern over whether major crude producers will be able to agree to extend record output cuts, heightened by worries over a huge build in US distillate inventories.
Brent crude futures fell 1.46 percent, or 58 cents, to $39.21 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slid 1.98 percent, or 74 cents, to $36.55 a barrel.
Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the world’s biggest oil producers, have agreed to support extending into July the 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in supply cuts backed in April by the OPEC+ group, comprised of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other major producers.
But they failed to agree on holding an OPEC+ meeting on Thursday to discuss the cuts, with OPEC sources saying it would be conditional on countries that have not complied with their targets so far deepening their cuts.
“The market has taken a look at that and said it’s getting more complicated to get that deal over the line,” said Lachlan Shaw, head of commodity research at National Australia Bank.