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☆ Oil prices bounce as China demand hopes offset recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Reopening of Chinese economy buoys demand hopesRising interest rates and recession fears weighU.S. to begin purchases for strategic reserveLONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday after tumbling by more than $2 a barrel in the previous session as optimism over the Chinese economy outweighed concern over a global recession. China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Despite a surge in COVID cases, optimism over the reopening of the Chinese economy and its accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook, said CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng. The U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank raised interest rates last week and promised more. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the New Year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

The group agreed in early October to cut its oil production target by 2 million bpd from November until the end of 2023. Given production restraints on some members of the alliance, the actual cut the group is expected to deliver is closer to between 1 million and 1.1 million bpd. "A further cut in production cannot ... be ruled out," PVM Oil analyst Stephen Brennock said. "Failure to do so risks sparking another selling frenzy," he added, without saying how low he thought prices could go. Amrita Sen, co-founder of consultancy Energy Aspects, told bank Jefferies that she did not expect OPEC+ to change tack yet.

☆ Oil up over $2 on tighter supply while OPEC+ talks limit gains
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the likelihood that OPEC+ will leave output unchanged at its upcoming meeting limited the gains. Brent crude futures rose $2.22, or 2.67% to $85.25 per barrel by 1340 GMT. Support followed expectations of tighter crude supply. U.S. crude oil stocks dropped by 7.9 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 25, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Russia would not supply oil to countries imposing a price cap, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

☆ Oil prices fall as Druzhba pipeline resumes flows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU (Reuters) -Oil prices fell by more than a dollar on Wednesday as Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary restarted and rising COVID-19 cases in China weighed on sentiment. Prices slid into negative territory after Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that flows through the Druzhba oil pipeline from Russia had resumed following a brief outage. Supply to parts of Eastern and Central Europe via a section of the pipeline were temporarily suspended on Tuesday for technical reasons, according to oil pipeline operators in Hungary and Slovakia. The Energy Information Administration said U.S. crude inventories fell by 5.4 million barrels last week, compared with expectations for a 440,000-barrel drop. “Oil demand growth in the country is being hampered by its unyielding faith in a zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy and persistent economic weakness,” PVM Oil analyst Stephen Brennock said.

☆ Oil prices slide after Druzhba crude pipeline resumes flows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Ahmad Ghaddar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices fell sharply on Wednesday as Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary restarted, prompting the reversal of earlier gains following an attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman. Prices then retreated after Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday that flows through the Druzhba pipeline which carries Russian oil to Hungary had resumed following a brief outage. Oil supply to parts of Eastern and Central Europe via a section of the Druzhba pipeline were temporarily suspended on Tuesday for technical reasons, according to oil pipeline operators in Hungary and Slovakia. “Oil demand growth in the country is being hampered by its unyielding faith in a zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy and persistent economic weakness,” PVM Oil analyst Stephen Brennock said. Earlier this week, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut its forecast for 2022 global oil demand growth for a fifth time since April, citing mounting economic challenges.

Brent crude rose $1.74, or 1.8%, to $96.39 as of 12:01 p.m. EDT (1601 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up $1.95, or 2.2%, to $90.31 per barrel. U.S. crude oil stocks fell about 3.1 million barrels on the week, according to federal data. "That is why we are seeing oil prices being supported." China's zero-COVID policy has been a main factor in keeping a lid on oil prices as repeated lockdowns have slowed growth and pared oil demand. Therefore, expect oil prices to close out this year heading into triple-digit territory," PVM analyst Stephen Brennock said.

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped in and out of positive territory on Wednesday before an expected rate hike by the Federal Reserve, but found a floor as market participants weighed falling U.S. crude stockpiles and European sanctions on Russian barrels starting in December. U.S. crude oil stocks fell about 6.5 million barrels for the week ended Oct. 28, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures. China's zero-COVID policy has been a main factor in keeping a lid on oil prices as repeated lockdowns have slowed growth and pared oil demand. The potential disruption from the European Union embargo on Russian oil that is set to start on Dec. 5 may also be pushing prices higher. Therefore, expect oil prices to close out this year heading into triple-digit territory," PVM analyst Stephen Brennock said.

☆ Oil prices settle up; China demand hopes outweigh recession worry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBrent crude settled at $93.50 a barrel, up $1.12, or 1.2%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) settled at$85.05 a barrel, up 54 cents, 0.6%. Swings in the U.S. dollar, which typically moves inversely with oil prices, added to choppy trade. China, the world's largest crude importer, has stuck to strict COVID-19 curbs this year, weighing heavily on business and economic activity and reducing demand for fuel. U.S. oil rigs rose two to 612 this week, their highest since March 2020, while gas rigs were unchanged at 157.

☆ OPEC+ to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day to shore up prices, defying U.S. pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Oil prices have fallen to roughly $80 from over $120 in early June amid growing fears about the prospect of a global economic recession. OPEC and non-OPEC allies, a group often referred to as OPEC+, decided at their first face-to-face gathering in Vienna since 2020 to reduce production by 2 million barrels per day from November. Energy market participants had expected OPEC+, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, to impose output cuts of somewhere between 500,000 barrels and 2 million barrels. Oil prices have fallen to roughly $80 a barrel from more than $120 in early June amid growing fears about the prospect of a global economic recession. "In short, OPEC+ is prioritising price above stability at a time of great uncertainty in the oil market."

Oil prices rose around 4% on Monday morning. Crude oil storage tanks at the Juaymah Tank Farm in Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. "A further uptick in trading activity coupled with tightening near-term oil fundamentals could well push oil prices back to $100/bbl," Brennock said in a research note. Storage tanks and oil processing facilities operate beside the Arabian Sea at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and terminal in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. The upcoming OPEC+ meeting in Vienna will result in an oil production cut "of some historic kind", said CIO of Pickering Energy Partners, Dan Pickering.

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