摘要：LONDON, MOSCOW and DUBAI (Bloomberg) -- OPEC and its allies started laying the groundwork to cut oil supply in 2019, reversing an almost year-long expansion, with Saudi Arabia reasserting its role as swing producer by announcing fewer shipments from next month. “We, as responsible producers, are going to work, and work hard, to balance the market within a reasonable corridor,” Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told reporters on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. Demand for Saudi oil is “tapering off” in part because of seasonal factors, so the kingdom will ship less, he said. Saudi Arabia will export 500,000 fewer barrels per day in December, than November, taking the lead in OPEC to counter the price rout battering the finances of group members and energy companies alike. While its meeting with other producers on Sunday yielded no change in supply policy, OPEC+ warned in a statement that it might need “new strategies,” raising the prospect of a wider and coordinated cut in 2019. Oil collapsed into a bear market in little more than a month, and pressure is mounting on the OPEC+ group to act sooner than their policy meeting in December. The producers need prices that are high enough to balance their budgets and low enough to stimulate demand and shield themselves from attacks from the White House, all while they contend with wild swings in supply as sanctions hit OPEC member Iran. Although there are signs of a glut emerging in the U.S., the Saudi minister said it was too early to talk about coordinated production cuts within OPEC+. Counterparts from Russia and the UAE echoed that sentiment. Oman, a smaller member of the group, had said earlier it would support a cut by consensus of 1 MMbopd.
