logo
Oil falls after US crude inventories rise

Oil falls after US crude inventories rise

NEW YORK: Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday after government data showed U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose unexpectedly last week, prompting investor concerns of excess supplies.
Brent crude futures fell 40 cents, or around 0.6%, to $66.23 a barrel by 12:04 p.m. EDT (1604 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 33 cents, or 0.52%, to $63.34.
Both benchmarks, which traded close to their highest in two-weeks in the previous session, fell after data from the Energy Information Administration showed crude stockpiles rose by 3.5 million barrels to 441.8 million barrels last week.
Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected a 1.1 million-barrel draw.
Net U.S. crude imports rose last week by 422,000 barrels per day, the EIA said.
API industry data also showed a large build of 4.3 million barrels in crude stocks last week, market sources said on Tuesday.
'Definitely, the crude build in the API numbers was not of help,' UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said of Wednesday's oil price fall.
Crude oil climbs more than $1 on tariff cuts
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers, known as OPEC+, has been increasing supply to the market.
On Wednesday, however, OPEC trimmed its forecast for growth in oil supply from the United States and other producers outside the wider OPEC+ group this year.
'They are not changing their demand profile but adding more barrels,' said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho. 'At some point, supply is just going to swamp out demand and drill the market lower.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

OPEC+ agrees in principle another large oil output hike, sources say
OPEC+ agrees in principle another large oil output hike, sources say

Business Recorder

time9 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

OPEC+ agrees in principle another large oil output hike, sources say

LONDON: OPEC+ agreed in principle to boost oil output by 548,000 barrels per day in September, two OPEC+ sources said on Sunday as the group finishes unwinding its biggest tranche of production cuts amid fears of further supply disruptions from Russia. A decision is expected at a meeting scheduled to begin at 1100 GMT, amid fresh U.S. demands for India to stop buying Russian oil as Washington seeks ways to push Moscow for a peace deal with Ukraine. Fresh EU sanctions have also pushed Indian state refiners to suspend Russian oil purchases. OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil, had been curtailing production for several years to support the market. But it reversed course this year to regain market share, and as U.S. President Donald Trump demanded OPEC pump more oil. OPEC+ began output increases in April with a modest hike of 138,000 bpd, followed by larger hikes of 411,000 bpd in May, June and July and 548,000 bpd in August. If the group agrees to the 548,000-bpd September increase, it will have fully unwound its previous production cut of 2.2 million bpd, while allowing the United Arab Emirates to raise output by 300,000 bpd. Oil falls on worries about OPEC+ supply OPEC+ still has in place a separate, voluntary cut of about 1.65 million bpd from eight members and a 2-million-bpd cut across all members, which expire at the end of 2026. Sources have said previously the group had no plans to discuss other tranches of cuts on Sunday.

US copper stabilizes
US copper stabilizes

Business Recorder

time18 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

US copper stabilizes

LONDON: US copper prices stabilised on Friday after the biggest one-day decline on record the previous day as the market continued to assess a surprise move by US President Donald Trump to exclude refined metal from 50% import tariffs. US September Comex copper futures were last up 1.6% at $4.423 per lb, or $9,751 a metric ton, after plunging by 22% on Thursday. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.4% to $9,645 a ton by 1607 GMT as the dollar fell after US job growth slowed more than expected in July and traders ramped up bets on how many times the Federal Reserve was likely to cut rates this year. A weaker US currency makes dollar-priced metals more attractive for buyers using other currencies, while lower rates improve prospects for growth-dependent copper. Price pressure was applied by rising copper stocks in LME-registered warehouses and the risk of more inflows from massive inventories in the US after Washington excluded refined copper from its import tariffs. Copper stocks in Comex-owned warehouses are at a 21-year high of 233,977 tons after 176% growth over the March-July period. Available LME stocks, meanwhile, more than doubled in July and are at a three-month high of 127,475 tons. Limiting the prospect of massive outflows from US stocks in the short term is the Comex copper futures premium over the LME price, even with this week's price falls. 'Comex copper's premium is now only a few hundred dollars, which is still huge historically but nothing compared to the recent $3,000 premium,' one metals trader said. Trump imposed steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan, ahead of Friday's trade deal deadline. China, the world's top metals consumer, is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable agreement with Washington. On the supply side, Chilean copper giant Codelco said five workers were trapped at the new Andesita unit of its flagship El Teniente mine after a 4.2 magnitude tremor on Thursday. Andesita was due to begin production in the second quarter. Among other LME metals, aluminium rose 0.2% to $2,570 a ton, lead gained 0.2% to $1,974, tin jumped 1.8% to $33,300 and nickel added 0.5% to $15,005. Zinc fell 1.1% to $2,729.

Oil falls on worries about OPEC+ supply
Oil falls on worries about OPEC+ supply

Business Recorder

time18 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Oil falls on worries about OPEC+ supply

HOUSTON: Oil prices $2 a barrel on Friday because of jitters about a possible increase in production by OPEC and its allies, while a weaker-than-expected US jobs report fed worries about demand. Brent crude futures settled at $69.67 a barrel, down $2.03, or 2.83%. US West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $67.33 a barrel, down $1.93, or 2.79%. Brent finished the week with a gain near 6%, while WTI rose 6.29%. Three people familiar with discussions among OPEC members and allied producers said the group may reach an agreement as early as Sunday to boost production by 548,000 barrels per day in September. A fourth source familiar with OPEC+ talks said discussions on volume were ongoing and the hike could be smaller. The US Labor Department said the country added 73,000 jobs in July, lower than economists had forecast, raising the national unemployment rate to 4.2% from 4.1%. 'We can blame US President Donald Trump with the tariffs or we can blame the Federal Reserve for not raising interest rates,' said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store