Finance: OPEC agrees to extend production cuts for another 9 months

The extension had been widely expected, after numerous major players said prior to Thursday's meeting that they backed further cuts.

LONDON — OPEC has agreed to continue production cuts for a further nine months, according to reports on Thursday.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday morning that the cartel of major oil producers agreed to continue the cuts in a further effort to rebalance the oil market and address the global supply glut that has subdued prices, citing a delegate at OPEC's meeting in Vienna who asked "not to be identified before an official announcement is made."

Later Reuters also reported the news, citing delegates. The extension means that cuts will now continue until March 2018.

The extension had been widely expected, after numerous major players said prior to Thursday's meeting that they backed further cuts.

Earlier in May, for example, both Saudi Arabia and Russia, who is not a member of OPEC but is seen as a critical part of any potential agreement, said they backed extending the production cuts until March 2018.

OPEC members will "discuss the extension with non-member producers later on Thursday," Bloomberg says.

Oil is significantly lower on Thursday as traders await an official announcement, with both major benchmarks more than 1% lower. Those falls reflect disappointment from some market participants that the cartel has decided not to deepen the cuts or extend them more than the expected nine months.

Here is how WTI crude, the US benchmark looks at around 1.10 p.m. BST (8.10 a.m. ET):

The extension had been widely expected, after numerous major players said prior to Thursday's meeting that they backed further cuts. Read Full Story