OPEC to hold quota as prices near $75

ORGANISATION of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the producer of 40 per cent of the world's oil, will probably maintain its output quotas at next week's meeting as prices trade close to members' $75-a- barrel target, a Bloomberg News survey showed.

All 36 analysts surveyed said that the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries would decide for a fourth time this year to maintain its formal limit of 24.845 million barrels a day. The 12-member group meets December 22.