Oil prices fell as producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia locked horns over the need to extend record production cuts set in place in the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic
The Russian government, after internal talks with its own oil companies, has settled on its position, a person familiar with the discussions said on Wednesday
At stake is the credibility of the cartel whose actions have underpinned the market since the spectacular oil crash earlier this year
Brent crude was down 19 cents at $47.69 a barrel by 1430 GMT and West Texas Intermediate was down 36 cents at $44.98.
Oil prices slipped amid concerns over mounting supply after leading producers delayed talks on 2021 output policy that could extend production cuts as the Covid pandemic continues to sap fuel demand
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for January fell 35 cents, or 0.8%, to $45.18 a barrel
"There is consensus at the OPEC level ... on extending the current 7.7 million barrels per day (bpd) cuts until ... the end of March," Attar said, according to Algeria's state news agency
The east-west divide is an added conundrum for OPEC+, which on Monday and Tuesday needs to decide whether to delay a production increase slated for January -- and if so, for how long
Oil prices fell about 1% amid investor jitters ahead of an OPEC+ meeting to decide whether the producers' group will extend large output cuts to balance global markets
Bloc set to meet virtually to address key concerns on the back of a disastrous yr
OPEC+ was planning to raise output by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in January - about 2% of global consumption
Brent crude futures rose 21 cents, or 0.5%, to $45.17 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 10 cents
The market was also supported by a smaller-than-expected increase in U.S. crude stockpiles last week.
Brent was down 29 cents, or 0.6%, at $43.53 a barrel by 1444 GMT while US crude was down 27 cents, or 0.6%, at $41.07. Both had been up 40 cents earlier in the session.
The JMMC, which can recommend policy to the broader group, made no formal recommendations on Tuesday, three OPEC+ sources said
The OPEC+ group of producers was due to raise output by 2 million bpd in January
OPEC+ is due to meet next on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, following a high-level ministerial meeting on Tuesday
The weakening outlook has piled pressure on OPEC+ to delay a supply increase of 2 million bpd scheduled for January, which the market is now pricing in
The weakening demand recovery could support the case for OPEC and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, to delay a scheduled oil-output boost next year
S&P Global Platts Analytics slashed its 2021 oil consumption outlook by 700,000 barrels per day (b/d) recently and now predicts oil demand growth of 5.8 million b/d in 2021