Forget OPEC -- Putin is the one really controlling oil prices

Russia seems to have replaced Saudi Arabia as the market swinger, along with U.S. shale. An anonymous OPEC source told Bloomberg this week that it was Putin really calling the shots. Do you remember who first said anything about extending the oil production cut deal until the end of next year? It wasn’t Saudi Arabia or any other Gulf producer. It wasn’t even Venezuela. It was Russia, and more specifically President Putin, who suggested such an extension during Saudi King Salman’s visit to ...