• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Oil Prices

Saudi Arabia Revives Price War Specter to Stop Oil Cheats

By
Geoffrey Smith
Geoffrey Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Geoffrey Smith
Geoffrey Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 14, 2017, 1:33 PM ET
Oil refinery plant in Saudi Arabia
075847 01: A citizen walks along a waterfront oil refinery plant December 10, 1987 in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Liaison)Cynthia Johnson Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Is the oil price war back on? Or is it just a Saudi head fake?

Saudi Arabia Tuesday fired a shot across the bows of those who think that last November’s deal on cutting crude oil output is an invitation to them to take a ‘free ride’ at others’ expense.

According to its own data, the Desert Kingdom produced an average of 10.011 million barrels a day in February, up 263,000 barrels a day from January. At first sight, that goes against the grain of the agreement that Saudi brokered with fellow OPEC members and other non-OPEC producers such as Russia and Mexico in November.

The news sent shudders through crude oil markets, pushing futures down by over 2% to their lowest since the November deal.

 

That accord had aimed to cut world oil supply by 1.8 million barrels a day (around 2% of world output) from January through June, to speed the rebalancing of a world market suffering from a glut. It had been hailed as the de facto end to a two-year price war that had pushed crude from over $100 a barrel to under $30 at its low point a year ago. At 1640 Eastern Time, the benchmark U.S. future was trading at $47.30, down 2.3% on the day.

 

It’s less than a week since Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih came to Houston to warn an industry conference that “We will not bear the burden of free riders,” a clear sign of displeasure at apparent cheating on the agreed quotas. Russia, the world’s biggest producer, had only cut its output from the agreed baseline by 100,000 barrels a day through February, in contrast to the 300,000 pledged. Matt Smith, an analyst with ClipperData in Louisville, points out that other countries both inside OPEC (Venezuela, Angola) and outside (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan) appeared to be failing to comply recently, judging by evidence of higher export volumes.

 

To rub salt in Saudi wounds, U.S. companies (who aren’t bound by the accord) have responded with alarming speed to cash in on the rise in prices. The number of U.S. oil drilling rigs has risen 30% since November to 617 as of last week, according to Baker Hughes. That’s the highest since February 2015.

 

But Saudi’s numbers come with a caveat. They were what OPEC calls ‘primary source’ data – i.e., what OPEC members officially report to the organization.

But, because some members have accused each other of lying about output levels in the past, OPEC also publishes numbers based on independent, or ‘secondary’ sources, deduced from granular tracking of cargo movements and other data. And according to the secondary sources, Saudi actually cut output further in February to 9.797 million barrels a day. Some conclude that Saudi’s official data may be just a bluff, a signal to the oil producing world not to take too much for granted.

“It’s a shot across the bow,” said Clipper’s Smith. “These hints are only going to continue as long as they see other parties to the accord not complying.”

Whatever the intent, some in Riyadh were obviously alarmed by the interpretation of their data, hurriedly putting out a statement later that Saudi had only “supplied” 9.90 million barrels a day to the world, and stressed that it had shown “responsible behaviour.” The market was unimpressed, only clawing back a small fraction of the day’s losses.

Smith said that irrespective of who is actually cheating or not on their agreed quota, the biggest problem is that the goal of ending the glut on world markets – the whole reason for the output restraint – is still far away. According to the OPEC report, inventories in developed economies actually rose in January (the last month for which data are available) after coming down slightly in previous months. At 3.006 billion barrels, they’re 10%, or 278 million barrels, above their five-year average.

“Today’s figures show them going in the wrong direction,” Smith summed up.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include Saudi Arabia’s statement.

 

About the Author
By Geoffrey Smith
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

GTA 6 release date is finally here—but the $80 price tag and missing disc have gamers furious
Arts & EntertainmentGaming
GTA 6 release date is finally here—but the $80 price tag and missing disc have gamers furious
By Whizy Kim and Tech BrewJune 25, 2026
1 hour ago
Tru Niagen
HealthDietary Supplements
Tru Niagen Review (2026): Our Honest Thoughts
By Emily PharesJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago
Private equity gets cut of two of Taylor Swift’s biggest pop hits through Max Martin’s catalog sale
Arts & Entertainmentprivate equity
Private equity gets cut of two of Taylor Swift’s biggest pop hits through Max Martin’s catalog sale
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Exclusive: Hera raises $27 million to tackle the unpaid caregiving that falls on daughters of the sandwich generation
NewslettersMPW Daily
Exclusive: Hera raises $27 million to tackle the unpaid caregiving that falls on daughters of the sandwich generation
By Emma HinchliffeJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago
stock
InvestingMarkets
How one chip stock reversed the global tech selloff, exposed AI’s ‘memory tax’ and made the case for an entire valuation regime change
By Nick LichtenbergJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago
Larry Ellison quietly gave $45 million to a pro-Trump group—then Oracle landed a starring role in a $500 billion AI buildout
PoliticsLarry Ellison
Larry Ellison quietly gave $45 million to a pro-Trump group—then Oracle landed a starring role in a $500 billion AI buildout
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
13 hours ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
2 days ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
Success
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 25, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.