U.A.E. sees oil-price drop hurting shale drillers not OPEC

ABU DHABI (Bloomberg) -- OPEC nations can withstand a drop in crude prices to the lowest in more than five years, while shale drillers will probably be the first to curb production amid the collapse, the United Arab Emirates’ energy minister said. Oil slumped almost 50% last year, the most since the 2008 financial crisis, amid a supply surplus that the U.A.E. and Qatar estimate at 2 MMbopd. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is battling a U.S. shale boom by resisting production cuts, signaling its readiness to let prices fall to a level that slows American output, which has surged to a three-decade high.

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