World Petroleum

World oil prices are only marginally higher than spring 1990's average of $15 a barrel, just before the Persian Gulf crisis that doubled prices to $30 by the fourth quarter. Despite efforts by the Organizations of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut its output by 5 percent, or by 1 million barrels a day (mbd), to 22.3 mbd, prices have remained stable. The reasons for this are: low demand from the industrialized countries, mainly the United States, due to slowed economic activity; seasonally slack use of oil for heating, or gasoline for longer-range driving in the spring; and the still-abundant stocks that were built up before and during the winter, which turned out to be a mild one.