OPEC under pressure to act in face of 100-dollar oil: analysts

"It (the 100-dollar record) will be a psychological trigger for consumer countries," said global head of commodities at investment bank Societe Generale Frederic Lasserre.
"We will see governments putting pressure on OPEC, saying 'we need you to do something for us'. In the end though, they (governments) probably share the view that adding a few barrels will not change the market."
The 13-member Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries shrugged off demands at its last meeting in December, despite a public plea from US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman for an output increase.
The Saudi-led cartel pumps about 40 percent of world oil supplies but restricts the output of its members through a quota system that is reviewed at regular meetings.