Fitch: OPEC's oil production target supports "slow" oil recovery

Ratings agency Fitch stated in it's latest report that yesterday's OPEC announcement about production cut supports their view on Oil prices recovery, but the rebound isn't expected to be strong.

Key quotes from the press release:

"The announcement supports our view that oil prices will continue their recovery, but does not make a strong rebound materially more likely. "

"The target implies a production cut of between 240,000 b/d and 740,000 b/d from August levels. This would be the first agreed cut since 2008, and it indicates a slightly greater propensity to co-operate between OPEC's members to support prices."

"This reduces downside risk to oil prices and reinforces our expectation that the stabilisation and recovery since the beginning of the year will continue. This is reflected in our forecasts for average prices for Brent and WTI of USD45/b in 2017 and USD55/b in 2018."

"Our view incorporates a market that will on average be broadly balanced next year. This reflects demand improvement combined with modest production curtailments outside OPEC, principally in the US (the US Energy Information Administration this month forecast US crude oil production will drop to 8.8m b/d in 2016 from 9.4m b/d in 2015). While the OPEC cut, if agreed, makes a modest deficit more likely next year, this will not be enough to normalise OECD stock levels, which OPEC estimates at 341 million barrels above their five-year average."