[Vince Ferrer]

Why would Saudi be so different from Kuwait and Qatar?

This is not just the cost of producing a barrel of oil, it is how much they need to sell that barrel of oil to support their budgets. Most OPEC countries use their oil money as a spigot of social spending. Saudi Arabia must be spending more than Kuwait does on its social spending.

[nascarnation]

Thanks.
Makes sense.
As Lee Iacocca famously said “our costs walk in on two legs every day”