financetom
World
financetom
/
World
/
Oil gains as market buffeted by supply worries
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Oil gains as market buffeted by supply worries
Apr 2, 2024 7:20 PM

By Arathy Somasekhar

(Reuters) - Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday as a larger than expected fall in U.S. crude inventories and escalating geopolitical tensions raised investor worries about tighter supplies.

Brent futures for June delivery rose 20 cents, or 0.22%, to $89.12 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May climbed 17 cents, or about 0.2%, to $85.32 a barrel, at 0015 GMT.

Both Brent and WTI had climbed to its highest since October on the previous day.

U.S. crude oil inventories fell by 2.3 million barrels last week, higher than the 1.5 million barrel drop forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll. U.S. government data is due later on Wednesday.

On the geopolitical front, a Ukrainian drone struck one of Russia's biggest refineries in an attack Russia initially said it repelled.

Russia, among the top three global oil producers and one of the largest exporters of oil products, has been contending with Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and has also attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Elsewhere, Iran said it would take revenge against Israel for an airstrike that killed two of its generals and five military advisers at its embassy compound in Damascus, raising the risk of further escalation in the Middle East conflict.

Also tightening supplies, Mexico's state energy company Pemex requested its trading unit to cancel up to 436,000 barrels per day of crude exports this month as it gets ready to process domestic oil at the new Dos Bocas refinery, an internal document seen by Reuters showed.

However, an OPEC+ ministerial panel is unlikely to recommend any oil output policy changes at a meeting on Wednesday, five OPEC+ sources told Reuters.

The U.S. dollar also edged down against a basket of currencies on Wednesday, helping support demand for dollar-denominated commodities like oil.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
Mar 21, 2024
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks were near a weekly gain on Friday and the Nikkei charged to a record high, riding a rally from its global counterparts after a surprise rate cut from the Swiss National Bank had investors wagering who could be next. The SNB's 25 basis point rate cut on Thursday proved a shot in the arm for...
GLOBAL MARKETS-China gloom sucks life out of Asia's rate cut cheer
GLOBAL MARKETS-China gloom sucks life out of Asia's rate cut cheer
Mar 21, 2024
(Recasts to lead on Chinese markets, updates prices) By Rae Wee SINGAPORE, March 22 (Reuters) - Chinese stocks were a sea of red on Friday and the yuan fell sharply, dragging down the broader mood in Asia and putting a dent in the rate cut rally after a surprise move from the Swiss National Bank had investors wagering on who...
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
Mar 21, 2024
SINGAPORE, March 22 (Reuters) - Asian stocks were near a weekly gain on Friday and the Nikkei charged to a record high, riding a rally from its global counterparts after a surprise rate cut from the Swiss National Bank had investors wagering who could be next. The SNB's 25 basis point rate cut on Thursday proved a shot in the...
China yuan falls to four-month low, state banks step in
China yuan falls to four-month low, state banks step in
Mar 21, 2024
(Updates to midday) SHANGHAI, March 22 (Reuters) - China's yuan declined to a four-month low against the dollar on Friday, breaching a key threshold and prompting state-owned banks to step in to defend the currency. In the spot market, the onshore yuan fell to the weak side of the psychologically important 7.2 per dollar level to hit a low of...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved