The Fed sends flowers to OPEC
OPEC+ continues to keep oil prices within a 'goldilocks' price range and provide stability in turbulent geopolitical times
The US Federal Reserve published in January an academic paper, Reasons Behind Words: OPEC Narratives and the Oil Market. The paper is the result of rigorous research and analysis by a team of authors who used a model-based approach to analyse all recorded OPEC press releases and mapped them against the fundamentals of oil supply, demand and speculative activity in the oil market. Their main conclusion was that “OPEC communication reduces oil price volatility and prompts market participants to rebalance their positions”. For an organisation that often gets a bad press, this complimentary statement might come as a surprise to many, particularly those who mistakenly take the view that OPEC is a
Also in this section
9 April 2026
The April 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
9 April 2026
Offshore operators are working through an FID backlog as the rig market consolidates, helped by improving project economics and a renewed security drive
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
