ANALYST VIEW-OPEC keeps output unchanged

LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC ministers on Wednesday agreed to keep output steady, saying record high prices had been driven by factors that were beyond their control.

Consumer nations led by the United States had pressed OPEC to boost output as oil prices hit a record of $103.95 a barrel this week and have mostly traded above $100 since.

The following are the views expressed by analysts and investors:

SAMUEL CISZUK, ANALYST WITH GLOBAL INSIGHT

"This decision comes as no surprise. They don't want to be blamed or seen as the reason for upsetting the global economy right now by pressing for a cut in output."

"What OPEC does not want, especially Saudi and the Gulf countries, is to actually be seen as one of the main reasons why the global economy goes one way or other."

"Some people, mostly outside OPEC, had asked for an increase in output, but there seems to be very little support for that."

HARRY TCHILINGUIRIAN, ANALYST WITH BNP PARIBAS

"Unchanged quotas... will likely keep inventories in consuming countries in check ahead of the summer season when Atlantic basin refiners emerge from maintenance and increase their crude demand."

"All in all, supportive of maintaining the current backwardation, a situation which for OPEC has the advantage of lending a greater impact on the price to the marginal barrel they choose to put or remove from the market."

STEPHEN THORNBER, HEAD OF GLOBAL ENERGY RESEARCH,

THREADNEEDLE ASSET MANAGEMENT

"I think most people expected them to not touch production. There is little they can do to bring the oil price down.

"Whilst demand appears to be robust and global economic growth relatively healthy, there really isn't any need for them to bring the price down. If they were worried about growth they would try to bring the price down."

(Compiled by Santosh Menon and Jane Merriman, editing by Anthony Barker)