OPEC says market fundamentals don't justify oil plunge

OPEC says market fundamentals don't justify oil plunge, The rise in oil supplies on global markets does not justify the sharp drop in crude prices, a top OPEC official said Sunday, arguing speculation might be a contributor.

"We want to know the main reasons that have led to such a drop in oil prices," said Abdalla Salem el-Badri, secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

"When we look at supply and demand, there is a rise (in supply) but only a modest one that should not have led to this 50-percent drop," he told reporters at a conference in Dubai, adding that a continued drop could mean that "speculation is strongly contributing to pushing prices down."