Business Notes OIL

When OPEC members agreed last November to limit the group's oil production to 18.5 million bbl. per day in hopes of boosting prices, veteran oilmen were skeptical. Previous all-for-one pacts had crumbled when members secretly exceeded their quotas. This time producers are still cheating, but considerably less than most experts had expected. Oil-industry analysts estimate that OPEC is producing just 1 million bbl. per day more than the quota. As a result, OPEC's relative restraint is sparking a rally in the oil markets. The price of West Texas intermediate, a benchmark crude, reached $19.26 per bbl. last week, vs. less than $13 last October. Not since November 1987 has petroleum been so expensive.