VIENNA The price of OPEC's basket of seven crudes rose to $25.41 a barrel last week, compared with $24.25 in the third week of January.

According to figures released by the OPEC secretariat here Monday, the price of the basket so far this year (up to Thursday 25 January), has averaged $23.91 a barrel.

In December last year, the basket price averaged $24.13 a barrel as opposed to $31.22 in November, $30.42 in October, $31.48 in September, $28.30 in August, $27.94 in July, $29.12 in June, $26.94 in May, $22.93 in April, $26.71 in March and $26.84 in February.

For the 4th quarter of 2000, the basket price averaged $28.73 a barrel, as against $29.17 in the 3rd quarter, $26.38 in the 2nd quarter and $26.11 in the 1st quarter.

For 2000 as a whole, the price of the basket averaged $27.60 a barrel, compared with $17.47 the previous year.

(Reuter)