Oil prices hit $120 a barrel on Monday after Saudi Arabia raised crude prices for July and amid doubts that an increased OPEC+ monthly output target will help ease tight supply.
Brent crude firmed 32 cents, or 0.3%, to $120.04 a barrel at 0858 GMT after touching an intraday high of $121.95.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 40 cents, or 0.3%, at $119.27 a barrel after hitting a three-month high of $120.99.
Saudi Arabia raised the July official selling price (OSP) for its flagship Arab light crude to Asia by $2.10 from June to a $6.50 premium, the highest since May, when prices hit all-time highs due to worries of disruption in supplies from Russia.
The price increase followed a decision last week by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, together called OPEC+, to boost output for July and August by 648,000 barrels per day, or 50% more than previously planned.
The increased target was spread across all OPEC+ members, however, many of which have little room to increase output and which include Russia, whichfaces Western sanctions.
“With only a handful of… OPEC+ participants with spare capacity, we expect the increase in OPEC+ output to be about 160,000 barrels per day in July and 170,000 bpd in August,” JP Morgan analysts said in a note.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/oil-jumps-after-saudi-arabia-hikes-crude-prices-2022-06-05/