Modern commentators think of OPEC entirely as a market management mechanism, often referring to it as a cartel. But for the first 22 years of its existence after 1960, it did not apply production quotas. It was only in 1982 that OPEC introduced quotas to share the market between its members. Apart from brief periods of breakdown, it has kept that role ever since, writes Robin M. Mills in his latest column for Energy Connects.
The UAE’s decision to quit OPEC and OPEC+ is being read primarily through a geopolitical lens. But for oil markets, the more immediate and tangible question is simpler: how quickly can supply normalise once flows through the Strait of Hormuz resume? On that front, Abu Dhabi’s move could prove constructive rather than disruptive, Vandana Hari writes in her latest column for Energy Connects.
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