Counting the Cost

Will the OPEC+ oil output cut make inflation worse?

In a surprise move, OPEC+ slashes oil production by 1.6 million barrels a day starting in May.

The Saudi-led oil producing group OPEC+ has signalled it would hold the oil supply steady to maintain a stable market.

But in a surprise move, the alliance, which includes Russia, announced it would slash output by more than one million barrels a day – its second cut in more than six months.

It is feared this could send oil prices back to $100 a barrel. It may also raise tensions between Riyadh and the United States, which has called on Saudi Arabia to pump more oil in a bid to tame inflation.

Elsewhere, the United Kingdom agrees to join the Asia-Pacific trade bloc.