The World Bank has raised the alarm that the global oil prices that have witnessed consistently upward swing in recent times is unlikely to retreat until 2023 and that it could threaten economic growth
According to the bank, the average crude prices are expected to end the year at $70 a barrel, 70 per cent higher than in 2020, according to the latest Commodity Markets Outlook.
That in turn is pushing up other energy prices like natural gas, the report said.
“The surge in energy prices poses significant near-term risks to global inflation and, if sustained, could also weigh on growth in energy-importing countries,” said World Bank chief economist Ayhan Kose.
The increases have been “more pronounced than previously projected” and “may complicate policy choices as countries recover from last year’s global recession.”
Oil prices in recent weeks have surged above $80 a barrel, the highest point in years, as economies reopen following the pandemic shutdowns and amid shipping bottlenecks.
The World Bank uses an average of Brent, West Texas Intermediate, and Dubai which it said will “remain at high levels in 2022 but will start to decline in the second half of the year as supply constraints ease.”
The 2022 average is projected to rise to $74 before falling to $65 in 2023, the World Bank said.
But the report warns that “additional price spikes may occur in the near-term amid very low inventories and persistent supply bottlenecks.”
By Olusola Bello
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Business Standards is a general interest online newspaper, published by a team of experienced journalists with the aim to provide intelligent information and insights in various areas of the Nigerian economy as it reflects on global corridors. Energy, Information Technology, Aviation, Banking and finance, Maritime, Education, health, Agriculture and Politics are some of the major aspect Business Standard focuses on, bringing to you analytical and informative breaking of what is making rounds in the news and business world.
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