Since OPEC announced the production cut deal at the end of November, industry analysts have been warning that rising production from producers outside the deal--U.S. shale in particular--s effectively capping the oil price gains from that agreement.
Four months after the OPEC/NOPEC deal took effect, oil prices dropped to the levels preceding the agreement, amid concerns over still stubbornly high inventories and rising U.S. output.
Shale production has been gaining 'significant momentum', and there is a limited downside risk in the short run, Norway-based consultancy Rystad Energy said in a report last week.