"............ the price of oil increased from around $3/b in the early 1970s to more than $40/b in the early 1980s. It decreased to a single digit in the mid-1980s only to increase to more than $40/b again after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Prices declined to a single digit again in early 1999, only to exceed $55/b in June 2005." Read on: The Optimal Price of OPEC’s Oil- A F Alhajji
Oil prices were under pressure this week. Brent crude oil futures fell 1.9% to $73 per barrel on Friday, registering the biggest weekly loss since early September, with prices dropping over 7%. The decline was attributed to weaker demand forecasts from OPEC and the International Energy Agency (IEA), slowing economic growth in China, and signs of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Both OPEC and the IEA revised down their demand forecasts for 2024 and 2025. China's refinery output declined for the sixth consecutive month, impacted by weak fuel demand and the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil production reached a new record last week. Although a drawdown in U.S. crude inventories and stronger-than-expected retail sales in September provided some support to oil prices, easing concerns about a broader conflict in the Middle East exerted additional downward pressure on the market.