Analysis of expert and official oil price forecasts

The article studies the factors affecting formation of oil price forecasts by leading expert and official organizations (International Energy Agency, US Energy Information Administration, World Bank, OPEC, RF Ministry of Economic Development). It is demonstrated that all these forecasts take into account both oil market fundamentals and the current conjuncture, but the significance of these factors differs by agency. Non-linear dependence between forecast accuracy and horizon length is identified. The error is greatest for the projections 6 to 8 years ahead, which may be explained by the mismatch between the linear nature of the forecasts and the actual cyclical oil price dynamics during the last 50 years. Accuracy of short- to medium-term projections by the Ministry of Economic Development is shown to hold a median position among forecasting agencies, with the leading position held by the US Energy Information Administration.