Oil prices up slightly as US crude oil inventories fall

admin admin | 07-04 16:30

"OPEC+ was reported to have increased production in June despite pledges to keep quotas in check through the third quarter, and lingering concerns over a tepid recovery in China sent a bearish signal," Panmure Gordon's Kelty said.
Oil prices were up slightly on Wednesday after a larger-than-expected decline in U.S. crude stocks, but thin trading ahead of the U.S. Independence Day holiday and concerns about rising global inventories limited any rise in crude prices.

Brent crude futures edged up 5 cents to USD 86.29 a barrel by 11:42 a.m. EDT (1542 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 1 cent to USD 82.81.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a 12.2 million draw in the country's crude oil barrels in storage last week, which was larger than analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 680,000-barrel draw.[EIA/S]

"Strong exports, a slight drop in imports, and a rebound in refinery runs colluded to draw crude inventories by a whopping 12 million barrels," said Kpler oil analyst Matt Smith.

But the market's reaction was muted partly due to lower trading volumes ahead of Independence Day, analysts noted.

Both benchmarks hit their highest since April in the previous session after the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Beryl was expected to weaken into a tropical storm by the time it entered the Gulf of Mexico this week. Hurricanes can disrupt oil production and tighten supply.

OPEC output rose for a second consecutive month in June, a Reuters survey found on Tuesday, which also weighed on oil prices. Higher supply from Nigeria and Iran offset the impact of voluntary supply cuts by other members and the wider OPEC+ alliance.

"OPEC+ was reported to have increased production in June despite pledges to keep quotas in check through the third quarter, and lingering concerns over a tepid recovery in China sent a bearish signal," Panmure Gordon's Kelty said.

Also dampening prices were surveys that showed that China's services activity expanded at the slowest pace in eight months and confidence hit a four-year low in June. Overall business growth across the euro zone also slowed sharply last month. China is the largest importer of crude barrels, and a slowdown in the country's economic activity can damage oil demand.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.


ALSO READ

Ola Electric responds to ARAI notice, says prices of S1 X 2 kWh scooter unchanged

Ola Electric provided an invoice dated October 6, showing a INR 5,000 discount given to customers, a...

Hyundai Motor IPO’s off to a slow start

Around 35% of the total shares in the offering are reserved for retail investors, while QIBs and NII...

Under fire, Ola Electric taps EY India to get back on track

Close to a dozen executives from EY came on-board at Ola Electric a few weeks ago on deputation for ...

Tata Motors secures 5-star BNCAP safety ratings for Nexon, Curvv, and EV models in latest crash tests

Tata Curvv.EV BNCAP testTata Motors did it again! Tata Motors has once again secured 5 star rating i...

India needs to step up manufacturing to meet Viksit Bharat goal: Volvo Grp India MD

Volvo Group India Managing Director and President, Kamal Bali. The manufacturing sector is a weak li...

Dollar pullback to help Indian rupee, weak risk appetite to weigh

Investors are now nearly certain that the U.S. Federal Reserve will deliver a 25-basis-point rate cu...