OPEC+ to hold first in-person ministerial meeting since early 2020

The OPEC+ oil cartel will meet in Vienna at the ministerial level on October 5 to discuss future output strategy, according to a statement issued by the organisation on Saturday.

It's the first in-person meeting at the ministerial level for OPEC+ since March 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions moved the meeting online.

Investors are awaiting the decision at next week's OPEC+ meeting, as oil prices have recently tumbled over fears of an economic slowdown and demand contraction. Both the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and the Brent crude have dropped from peaks of over 120 US dollars a barrel in June to about 80 US dollars a barrel, reports Xinhua.

OPEC+, which comprises the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, slashed oil production massively in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hammered demand. The group began to unwind the output cuts in July 2021 as the market improved.

At its last ministerial meeting held virtually in early September, OPEC+ announced a small production cut of 100,000 barrels per day for October, its first output cut in over a year, to bolster the sliding crude prices.