financetom
World
financetom
/
World
/
Oil steady as players take stock of Middle East supply concerns
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Oil steady as players take stock of Middle East supply concerns
Aug 31, 2024 10:17 PM

(Reuters) - Oil prices were steady in early trading on Friday as investors weighed supply concerns in the Middle East against signs of weakened demand.

Brent crude futures for October delivery expire on Friday and were unchanged at 0033 GMT. The more actively traded contract for November fell 7 cents or 0.09% to $78.75. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 11 cents, or 0.14%, to $75.80.

Both contracts settled more than $1 higher on Thursday driven by oil supply concerns.

More than half of Libya's oil production, or about 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), was offline on Thursday and exports were halted at several ports following a standoff between rival political factions.

Libyan production losses could reach between 900,000 and 1 million bpd and last for several weeks, according to consulting firm, Rapidan Energy Group.

Meanwhile, Iraqi supplies are also expected to shrink after the country's output surpassed its quota agreed with OPEC+, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Iraq plans to reduce its oil output to between 3.85 million and 3.9 million bpd next month.

However, oil prices remained on track for a second month of decline.

Oil dipped 1% on Wednesday after data showed a U.S. crude stock draw around a third smaller than expected, with inventories slipping 846,0000 to 425.2 million, compared with a 2.3 million barrel draw forecasted by analysts in a Reuters poll.

"The market is concerned about the medium-term outlook, with oil balances for 2025 looking weak," ANZ analysts said in a note.

"We believe OPEC will have no choice but to delay the phase out of voluntary production cuts if it wants higher prices," ANZ said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies, together known as OPEC+, is set to gradually phase out voluntary production cuts of 2.2 million barrels per day over the course of a year from October 2024 to September 2025.

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 >
CANADA FX DEBT-Canadian dollar pulls back from 2-week high ahead of jobs data
CANADA FX DEBT-Canadian dollar pulls back from 2-week high ahead of jobs data
Apr 4, 2024
* Loonie touches a two-week high at 1.3479 * Canada's trade surplus widens in February * Price of U.S. oil settles 1.4% higher * Canadian bond yields ease across curve By Fergal Smith TORONTO, April 4 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar edged lower against its U.S. counterpart on Thursday, giving back its earlier gains, as investors assessed recent strength in...
EMERGING MARKETS-Latam markets rise; Chile's peso rallies for third straight day
EMERGING MARKETS-Latam markets rise; Chile's peso rallies for third straight day
Apr 4, 2024
* Chile's peso up for third straight session * Might be better to slow down rate cuts: Brazil cenbank director * Some Bank of Mexico board members caution against rate cut cycle * Brazil currency sentiment worsens at start of second quarter: Reuters poll * Latam stocks up 0.6%, FX adds 0.4% (Updated at 3:40pm ET/1940 GMT) By Bansari Mayur...
CANADA-CRUDE-Heavy oil differential stays around $12 after Trans Mountain sets startup date
CANADA-CRUDE-Heavy oil differential stays around $12 after Trans Mountain sets startup date
Apr 4, 2024
April 4 (Reuters) - The differential of Western Canada Select (WCS) heavy crude versus the North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded in the $12 range on Thursday, little changed from the previous session. * WCS for May delivery in Hardisty, Alberta traded between $12.40 and $12.60 below WTI, according to brokerage CalRock. On Wednesday, May WCS ended the...
FOREX-Dollar hits two-week low, moves lower against yen
FOREX-Dollar hits two-week low, moves lower against yen
Apr 4, 2024
(Updates at 1910 GMT) By Hannah Lang NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - The dollar hit a two-week low on Thursday as economic data supported expectations for quick interest rate cuts in the U.S., and fell against the battered yen. An unexpected slowdown in U.S. services growth, supporting the idea of bringing interest rates down, had pushed the dollar lower...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved