OPEC members face tough decision at Thursday's meeting
Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have a tough decision to make ahead of Thursday's meeting over whether to cut output in the wake of a 30% slump in crude prices since June.
The meeting, which will be held in Vienna at the organisation's headquarters, is expected to divide OPEC's 12 members over the decision.
The cartel produces around a third of global crude output, with a target of 30m barrels per day.
According to research by Bloomberg Newspredict, about 50% of analysts expect the meeting to result in a reduction to output, while the remainder anticipate no change.
Venezuela and Ecuador have already made public calls for a reduction, but OPEC's Gulf members are believed to want to maintain the current level.