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by velodrome 3594 days ago
The right time? They should have done this in 2007, when oil was $150/bbl. I would say this is a move of desperation...
1 comments

The only reason oil is so cheap right now despite much higher consumption than in 2007 is that Saudi Arabia specifically decided to massively increase production, breaking OPEC. They did this because they see the writing on the wall. Better that they get all the remaining money to be made from oil and cut out entirely the people who extract oil less cheaply from shale and other sources.
Your thinking Saudi Arabia UNILATERALLY caused the oil glut. IF that were the case, Saudi Arabia would be more powerful than OPEC, etc. They are not. The thing is most of the world's oil producers were pumping oil at ever increasing quantities:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Top_Oil_Producing_Countie...

As oil prices went down, they had to pump MORE to maintain operating costs.

http://econbrowser.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/us_oil_jan...

http://econbrowser.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/crude_oil_...

http://econbrowser.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/saudi_prod...

http://econbrowser.com/archives/2016/01/world-oil-supply-and...

You just proved his point. Everyone sees the writing on the wall.

Love,

Kneegrown