By Ed Crooks: April 1, 2016
Oil prices went sideways all week, with Brent crude edging up above $40 on Thursday. Hedge funds have made record bets on rising crude prices, but everyone is still watching prospects for the scheduled meeting of Opec and non-Opec oil producers in Doha, Qatar on April 17. Qatar’s oil minister said 12 countries had so far agreed to attend, including most Opec members and Russia. Reuters provided a useful factbox on the countries that could be present at the meeting. Ecuador is one of the Opec members trying to persuade non-member countries to join in a commitment to freeze production.