By SABAH MEDDINGS FOR THE DAILY MAIL: PUBLISHED: 23:34, 1 November 2016 | UPDATED: 23:34, 1 November 2016
Dividends at BP and Shell are set to come under threat as fears grow that a deal to prop up oil prices is about to collapse.
The two oil giants yesterday reported better-than-expected results – and gave a boost to their millions of small shareholders by protecting payouts.
But they have only been able to keep their dividends after slashing billions of pounds in costs following a collapse in the oil price from $112 a barrel in 2014 to less than $30.