사우디가 아시아 원유 가격을
26년 만에 가장 큰 폭으로 내렸다.
공급이 넘치는 데다,
러시아·이라크에 뺏긴 아시아 고객을 되찾으려는 것이다.

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Saudi Aramco cut the price of its main crude grade for Asian buyers in August by $11 a barrel—the biggest reduction in at least 26 years—setting Arab Light at a $1.50 discount to the regional benchmark, far deeper than the $8 cut analysts expected.

Oil has plunged since mid-June, when a US-Iran agreement reopened the Strait of Hormuz and Middle Eastern supply came flooding back; Brent now trades near $72, roughly where it stood before the conflict began.

Aramco restored shipments to about 90% of pre-war levels.

But the deeper driver is market share: Saudi Arabia is losing Asian buyers to Iraq, the UAE and Russia—China’s top refiner Sinopec bought zero Saudi cargoes for two straight months, switching to cheaper Russian crude.

By cutting prices by the most in 26 years, Saudi Arabia is making a decisive bid to hold on to Asian refiners—its most important customers.

🔗 Bloomberg