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☆ Oil prices climb on positive US fuel demand data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Jeslyn Lerh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 11 (Reuters) - Oil prices bounced back on Thursday after dropping by more than a dollar a barrel the previous day, supported by stronger fuel demand data from the United States, the world's top oil consumer. Brent crude futures rose by 56 cents, or 0.7%, to $76.97 a barrel by 0330 GMT, while U.S. crude futures rose 53 cents, also up 0.7%, to $73.09. A sharper-than-expected drop in U.S. gasoline inventories boosted prices, reflecting stronger demand for transport fuels in the U.S. The latest U.S. data showed consumer prices rose in April, increasing the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will maintain higher interest rates, which can have the knock-on effect of reducing oil demand. Distillate stocks also declined, while U.S. jet fuel demand rose to its highest level since December 2019.

May 11 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Thursday after strong demand for fuels in the U.S. outweighed concerns about the possibility of the world's biggest oil producer and consumer defaulting on its debt. Latest U.S. data showed consumer prices rose in April, increasing the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will maintain higher interest rates which can have the knock-on effect of reducing oil demand. Rising global interest rates have weighed on oil prices in recent months, with traders concerned about recession. However, fuel demand in the U.S. is showing signs of strength. U.S. jet fuel demand rose to its highest level since December 2019.

U.S. consumer prices rose in April, potentially raising the likelihood that the Fed will maintain higher interest rates. Rising global interest rates have weighed on oil prices in recent months, with traders concerned about recession. The surprising U.S. crude inventory build, along with lower crude imports and April's softer export growth in China exacerbated worries about global oil demand. The decline in crude prices was, however, limited by a surge in U.S. gasoline demand ahead of the summer driving season. "We are forecasting that oil prices range from $75-95 during 2023 based on fundamental supply and demand and that oil will rally as we head into the summer driving season," Hatfield said.

In a possible sign of weakening demand, U.S. crude inventories rose by about 3 million barrels in the week ended May 5, the Energy Information Administration said. The surprising U.S. inventory build along with lower crude imports and April's softer export growth in China exacerbated worries about global oil demand. Rising global interest rates have stirred fears of an impending recession, putting more pressure on oil prices. However, a large draw in U.S. gasoline and distillate inventories provided some support for oil prices on Wednesday. "Further action by (OPEC+) or calmer conditions in U.S. banks could see oil prices bounce back once more."

☆ Oil falls on surprise increase to U.S. inventories
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Noah Browning | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary U.S. consumer price index figures for April due on WednesdayComing up: EIA data on U.S. oil inventories at 10:30 a.m. EDTMay 10 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Wednesday, ending a three-day rally as an unexpected rise in U.S. oil inventories sparked demand concerns and investors awaited inflation data for a steer on U.S. interest rates. U.S. government data on oil inventories is due on Wednesday. The surprising U.S. inventory build along with lower crude imports and April's softer export growth in China exacerbated worries about global oil demand. "Crude futures were unwinding Tuesday’s modest gains early Wednesday as economic worries occupied centre stage, especially over the world’s two largest economies," said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights. OPEC and its allies, together known as OPEC+, agreed last month to cut production by 1.16 million barrels per day (bpd) from May through to the end of the year.

The data defied expectations from eight analysts polled by Reuters for a 900,000-barrel drawdown in crude inventories and a 1.2 million-barrel drop in gasoline stocks. U.S. government data on oil inventories is due on Wednesday. Media reported that Russia's Energy Ministry said the nation's oil output reduction almost reached targeted levels in April. Saudi Arabia, which pledged to cut production by 500,000 bpd from May, has informed buyers in Asia that it will supply full crude oil volumes requested for June. The wildfires forced oil and gas producers to shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), or 3.7% of the country's production.

Brent crude dropped 16 cents to $77.28 a barrel at 0008 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dipped 20 cents to $73.51, paring gains from the previous session. In a possible sign of weakening demand, U.S. crude inventories rose by about 3.6 million barrels in the week ended May 5, while gasoline stockpiles rose by 399,000 barrels, the American Petroleum Institute reported on Tuesday according to market sources. The data defied expectations from eight analysts polled by Reuters for a 900,000-barrel drawdown in crude inventories and a 1.2 million-barrel drop in gasoline stocks. U.S. government data on oil inventories is due on Wednesday. The wildfires forced oil and gas producers to shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), or 3.7% of the country's production.

☆ Oil recoups losses on plans for SPR refill, higher seasonal demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Bank of America Corp FollowTOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Oil prices ticked up on Tuesday, reversing a more than 2% drop earlier in the session, as markets weighed U.S. government's plans to refill the nation's emergency oil reserve and anticipated higher seasonal demand. Brent crude settled 43 cents, or 0.6% higher, at $77.44 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude closed up 24 cents, or 0.3%, at $73.39. Biden administration plans to begin purchasing oil to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve helped cover speculative short positions, said Robert Yawger, executive director of energy futures at Mizuho. A report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) pointing to higher seasonal demand and lower-than-expected output also supported prices. "We expect the seasonal rise in oil consumption and a drop in OPEC crude oil production to put some upward pressure on crude oil prices in the coming months," the Energy Information Administration said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook.

☆ Oil prices ease in cautious trade ahead of US inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Tuesday, relinquishing some of the strong gains of the previous two sessions with the market cautious ahead of U.S. inflation figures for April, which will be key to the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision. "Oil prices have rebounded somewhat in the last two sessions, so now is time for a pause ... with no real positive data coming out," said Suvro Sarkar, lead energy analyst at DBS Bank. "The market is cautious today ahead of the inflation data.... With net long positions declining sharply over the last two weeks, a lot of traders are already out of the market, so volumes are low." "If tomorrow's CPI data remains at around 5% by market consensus, and if the core CPI does not drop significantly, it will likely continue to support the rise in oil prices," said CMC Markets analyst Leon Li. While oil markets fell sharply last week, prices rose on Friday and Monday as fears of recession eased in the U.S., the world's biggest oil consumer, and some traders saw crude's three-week slide on demand worries as overdone.

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Tuesday, relinquishing some of the strong gains in the previous two sessions while the market remained cautious ahead of U.S. inflation figures for April, which will be key to the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision. "Oil prices have rebounded somewhat in the last two sessions, so now is time for a pause ... with no real positive data coming out," said Suvro Sarkar, lead energy analyst at DBS Bank. "The market is cautious today ahead of the inflation data.... With net long positions declining sharply over the last two weeks, a lot of traders are already out of the market, so volumes are low." While oil markets fell sharply last week, prices rose on Friday and Monday as fears of recession eased in the U.S., the world's biggest oil consumer, and some traders saw crude's three-week slide on demand worries as overdone. "Oil prices won't be able to rise that much from here given all the growth demand fears, but expectations are high for OPEC+ to try to keep prices above the $70 a barrel level," Moya's note said.

☆ Oil prices dip in cautious trade ahead of U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell in early trade on Tuesday, paring strong gains from the previous two sessions as markets remain cautious ahead of U.S. inflation figures for April which will be key to the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision. Markets are awaiting U.S. consumer price inflation figures for April due on Wednesday to provide some indication on the U.S. central bank's next rate decision. U.S. consumers said last month they expected slightly lower inflation in a year's time, a report showed on Monday. While oil markets fell sharply last week, prices rose on Friday and Monday as fears of recession in the U.S., the world's biggest oil consumer, eased and some traders saw crude's three-week slide on demand worries as overdone. "Oil prices won't be able to rise that much from here given all the growth demand fears, but expectations are high for OPEC+ to try to keep prices above the $70 a barrel level," Moya's note said.

☆ Occidental Petroleum misses quarterly profit estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Oil and gas producer Occidental Petroleum Corp's (OXY.N) first-quarter profit missed analysts' estimates on Tuesday, as oil prices eased amid concerns of a slowdown in global economic growth. Global oil prices pulled back during the reported quarter from the peaks reached last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Houston-based company posted adjusted earnings of $1.09 per share for the quarter, compared with analysts' estimates of $1.24 per share, according to Refinitiv data. Occidental, which is backed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), said its production during the first quarter rose to 1.22 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) from 1.08 million boepd a year earlier, helped by higher production from Permian. Reporting by Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

As a result, the combined position had been reduced to just 302 million barrels (7th percentile for all weeks since 2013) on May 2 from 534 million barrels (38th percentile) on April 18. The position has essentially returned to where it was on March 21 (289 million barrels, 2.16:1) before OPEC⁺ surprised investors by announcing production cuts on April 2 totalling more than 1 million barrels per day. Chartbook: Oil and gas positionsThe most recent week saw sales across the board in Brent (-69 million barrels), NYMEX and ICE WTI (-37 million), European gas oil (-24 million), U.S. diesel (-11 million) and U.S. gasoline (-4 million). Fund managers had become especially bearish on middle distillates such as diesel and gas oil, the most exposed to the business cycle. Funds sold the equivalent of 71 billion cubic feet over the seven days ending on May 2, after selling 99 billion cubic feet the week before.

Summary Oil rallies after three straight weekly declinesGoldman Sachs says demand fears 'overblown'US inflation data and OPEC report in focus this weekSINGAPORE, May 8 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose over 2% on Monday as U.S. recession fears eased and some traders saw crude's three-week slide on demand worries as overdone. Brent crude was up $1.57, or 2.1%, at $76.87 a barrel by 11:19 a.m. EDT (1519 GMT). Brent had finished last week with a decline of about 5.3% while U.S. crude plunged by 7.1% even after Friday's rebound. "The market is less worried about a banking crisis that could lead to a recession and hurt demand," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. OPEC's latest monthly oil market report is due on Thursday, providing an updated reading on the demand and supply outlook.

SINGAPORE, May 8 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose slightly in early Asian trade on Monday as fears of a recession in the U.S., which drove prices down for three straight weeks for the first time since November, began to recede. Brent crude futures were up 6 cents at $75.36 a barrel at 0022 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 8 cents at $71.42. "Crude prices may continue to take the rebounding tailwind," CMC'S Teng said. Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil heads for third straight weekly loss as economic worries persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady in early trading on Friday, but were set for a third straight week of losses after markets witnessed dramatic drops on fears of a weakening U.S. economy and slowing Chinese demand. For the week, Brent was set to close down 8.7%, while WTI was set to close 10.5% lower. Worries of a U.S. regional banking crisis persisted, worrying markets further, after PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) said it planned to explore strategic options. Traders are now focused on the release of U.S. employment data for April later in the day, hoping it could help gauge the health of the economy, as well as comments on monetary policy from St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari at the Economic Club of Minnesota. Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil stable after smaller ECB hike, demand woes linger
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brent futures were up 28 cents, or 0.39%, to $72.61 a barrel at 1228 GMT. The European Central Bank (ECB) eased the pace of its interest rate hikes on Thursday and kept its options open on future moves as it continues its fight against stubbornly high inflation in the euro zone. The 25-basis-point increase to the ECB's three policy rates was the smallest since it started lifting them last summer. "Today's decision signals that the ECB has entered the final stage of its current tightening cycle," ING said in a note. Prices have plunged this week on concerns about the U.S. economy and signs of weak manufacturing growth in the world's largest oil importer China, sliding further after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday.

Since Friday, however, Brent has dropped more than 9% and earlier on Thursday fell to as low as $71.28. Prices have plunged this week amid signs of weak manufacturing growth in China, the world's largest oil importer, and after the U.S., the world's biggest oil user, raised interest rates to their highest since 2007 on Wednesday, which threatens future economic growth there. "Oil is starting to find some support as all the bad supply and demand news has been priced in," said Edward Moya, an analyst at OANDA. The collapse of the third U.S. bank since March, spurred by their inability to manage rising interest rates, has also weighed overall financial markets. Investors are also awaiting developments from the European Central Bank, which is set to raise interest rates for the seventh meeting in a row on Thursday.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell $1, or 1.5%, to $67.60 a barrel. WTI in early trading on Thursday fell to a session low of $63.64 a barrel, the lowest since December 2021. On Wednesday afternoon, the Fed raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. The move weighed on oil prices, as higher rates could slow economic growth and hit energy consumption. Investors awaited developments from the European Central Bank, which is set to raise interest rates for the seventh meeting in a row on Thursday as its long fight against stubborn inflation continues.

WTI's session low was $67.95 a barrel, lowest since March 24. On Wednesday afternoon, the Fed raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, pressuring oil prices as traders worried that slower economic growth could hit energy demand. "The Fed going into a pause mode should be very supportive for the price of oil," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. Also pressuring oil prices, government data showed U.S. gasoline inventories (USOILG=ECI) unexpectedly rose by 1.7 million barrels last week. In China, data over the weekend showed April manufacturing activity fell unexpectedly in the world's largest energy consumer and top buyer of crude oil.

Both benchmarks fell 5% during the previous session, when they also recorded their biggest one-day percentage declines since early January. "The Federal Reserve is expected to deliver another quarter-point increase later today as part of its long-running battle against inflation," PVM Oil analyst Stephen Brennock said. Oil prices extended losses after government data showed U.S. gasoline inventories (USOILG=ECI) unexpectedly rose by 1.7 million barrels last week, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.2 million-barrel drop. U.S. crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) fell by 1.3 million barrels in the week, compared with forecasts for a 1.1 million-barrel drop. China is the world's largest energy consumer and top buyer of crude oil.

☆ Oil slips on weak China data and rate hike expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Tuesday on weak economic data from China and expectations of interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank (ECB) this week. Brent crude fell 42 cents, or 0.53%, to to $78.89 a barrel by 1037 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost 46 cents, or 0.61% to $75.20. Price pressure followed official data on Sunday showing manufacturing activity in China, the world's top crude importer, fell unexpectedly in April. Investors will look for market direction from expected interest rate hikes by inflation-fighting central banks, which could slow economic growth and dent energy demand. A poll on Monday showed that U.S. crude oil stockpiles, meanwhile, are expected to have fallen for a third consecutive week, providing some oil price support.

☆ Oil slips on weak China demand fears, U.S. rate rise forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The downside pressure on oil is that China's economic recovery is not really promising, clouding the demand outlook on fuel consumption," said Tina Teng, an analyst at CMC Markets. China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly fell in April, official data showed on Sunday, the first contraction since December in the manufacturing purchasing managers' index. China's industrial and economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic was expected to boost demand this year. Despite China's weak manufacturing data, there are positive signs of recovery based on spending during the five-day Labour Day holiday in the world's largest oil importer, said analysts in an ANZ Research note. Interest rate increases by inflation-fighting central banks could impact oil by slowing economic growth and denting energy demand.

Brent crude was up by 7 cents to $79.38 a barrel by 0425 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 11 cents to $75.77 a barrel. China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly fell in April, official data showed on Sunday, the first contraction since December in the manufacturing purchasing managers' index. China's industrial and economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic was expected to boost demand this year. "Crude oil fell after weak economic data from China raised concerns about a patchy recovery," said analysts in an ANZ Research note, referring to China's manufacturing activity data. Meanwhile, a Monday poll showed that U.S. crude oil stockpiles are expected to have fallen for a third consecutive week, providing some support to the market.

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