First, the break-even price for United States’ shale oil is from 30$ per barrel to 90$ per barrel. In contrast, Saudi Arabia crude oil break-even price is 10$ per barrel according to financial times.
Second, the advanced technology that is used in shale oil has high capital cost, threatening most shale oil producer in the short term.
Therefore, the role of Saudi Arabia should not be analysed in isolation of the evolution of shale oil