Crude market wrestles with supply-demand disconnect
Near-term economic concerns and relative supply strength postpone oil’s recovery narrative
The message from major forecasters is clear: global oil demand is set to expand faster than previously expected this year. The IEA now sees oil demand growth of 2.2mn bl/d in 2023, some 200,000bl/d higher than its report in April, taking overall demand to 102mn bl/d, supported by China’s improving mobility. In fact, the IEA has been raising demand growth projections every month since last November. Other top forecasters, such as Goldman Sachs, have also steadily increased their demand forecasts. But the oil market needs much more convincing. “These demand upgrades reflect that strong emerging market and global services demand continue to outpace weaker developed market and manufacturing envi
Also in this section
16 December 2025
The December 2025/January 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
16 December 2025
Abdullah Aljarboua serves as a senior fellow in the energy macro & microeconomics programme at KAPSARC. His work spans macroeconomics, energy-economic modelling, large-scale optimisation and advanced computational techniques for modelling complex energy policy dynamics. Here he speaks with Petroleum Economist about the Gulf region’s role in shaping the energy landscape over the coming decades
16 December 2025
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh in April 2026 brings together global leaders, scientists, policymakers and innovators at a pivotal moment in the world’s energy evolution.
15 December 2025
As contradictory as it might seem, US oil output has continued to grow over the last several years, even as drilling in the shale plays has maintained a slow decline. This improbable dichotomy is a testimony to the industry’s technological prowess






