A panel of OPEC+, a group of leading oil producing countries, will hold informal online talks on Saturday prior to meetings scheduled for next week

OPEC and allies including Russia are leaning towards delaying next year’s planned increase in oil output to support the market during the second wave of COVID-19 and rising Libyan output, despite a rise in prices

US oil stockpiles climbed last week on rising gasoline inventories as lockdown measures in parts of the US to curb the virus kept a lid on fuel demand

China, the world’s top crude importer, is one of the few countries to have boosted purchases in 2020, as buyers made the most of low prices earlier this year, while fuel demand recovered from the second quarter along with the broader economy

Brent crude oil futures’ spreads in 2021 have narrowed significantly as demand from Asia has been strong and markets remained hopeful that OPEC and its allies could extend their output cuts

China’s commercial oil stockpiling sector, which emerged as a key swing buyer of crude as prices plunged earlier this year, is setting plans to grow again in 2021, supporting a further boost in imports

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia will stick to its obligations under the deal with the OPEC on oil output cuts

OPEC and allies including Russia are leaning towards postponement of a planned January increase to oil output by at least three months to support prices as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its second wave

China’s crude oil throughput rose 2.6% in October from a year earlier to hit a record high as fuel demand firmed on strong holiday travel

Demand will rise by 6.25 million barrels per day (bpd) next year to 96.26 million bpd, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a monthly report. The growth forecast is 300,000 bpd less than expected a month ago