Opec trimmed its 2014 global oil demand growth forecast for a second consecutive month and said the group managed to increase output in July despite violence in Iraq and Libya, pointing to more comfortable global supplies. In a monthly report on Friday, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries trimmed its projection for growth in global demand this year to 1.10 million barrels per day (bpd), down 30,000 bpd, citing weaker-than-expected US demand.
"The slow and uneven global recovery continues," Opec said in the report. In 2014, "US oil demand remains strongly dependent on the development of the US economy, however the risk is skewed to the downside compared to the previous month." Opec's report points to even less pressure on supplies in 2015 as partly due to the US shale boom the need for Opec crude will fall, despite faster growth in global demand. The report made no change to 2015's global demand forecast.
This year, the lower demand forecast and a higher expectation for non-Opec supply will reduce the forecast global demand for Opec crude to 29.61 million bpd, down 70,000 bpd from the previous estimate, Opec said. It left next year's forecast unchanged at 29.36 million bpd.
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