The oil market has entered choppy waters once again. Crude prices fell by a dramatic 18% in April y/y – the sharpest monthly drop since November 2021 – partly due to a global slowdown, but more due to a power struggle within OPEC+.
Oil production plays an important role in the economy of many African countries. The chart shows oil rents as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) for the nine African nations most reliant on it, Our World in Data reports.
A sanctioned Russian cargo vessel, Ursa Major, has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria.
The Institute of International Finance (IIF) has forecast a decrease in Russia’s fiscal breakeven oil price (the amount to balance the external current account) to $77 per barrel by 2025, supported by a recovery in oil and gas revenues.
Both Slovenia and Croatia are tapping Algeria for gas imports as the country becomes an important supplier to southern Europe.