The biggest surprise of an otherwise predictable OPEC meeting on July 1st and 2nd came during the press conference of the second day, which included the non-OPEC “members”; i.e., Russia. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih, who usually dominates the press conferences, was missing-in-action, owing to a meeting with Austrian officials, so it was up to Russian minister Alexander Novak and OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo to field questions from the press.
Halfway through the press conference, Mr. Barkindo launched into a tirade about how the climate change protests, led by children, are “perhaps