The slump in global oil prices could hit bottom in early 2016 although prices are likely to remain low for the next couple of years, BP chief executive Bob Dudley said.

“A low point could be in the first quarter,” Dudley said in BBC radio interview broadcast.

Brent crude prices fell by 34 per cent last year after shedding 48 per cent in 2014. The plunge in global oil prices has pushed inflation close to or below zero in many countries, helping consumers but wrong-footing central banks.

Dudley said a more natural balance between supply and demand could come back in the third and fourth quarter of this year, after which stock levels could start to wear off.

“Prices are going to stay lower for longer, we have said it and I think we are in this for a couple of years. For sure, there is a boom-and-bust cycle here,” Dudley said.

Dudley also said he did not agree with Bank of England Governor Mark Carney’s use of the term “stranded assets” to describe oil and gas reserves held by companies but which may prove unviable as the world moves to a low-carbon economy.