Oil Claws Back Some Losses on Prolonged Libyan Export Crisis - Bloomberg:
Oil erased some earlier declines as concern mounted about supply disruptions in Libya and Iraq despite ample output from other major producers.
Futures trimmed losses to settle little changed near $58 a barrel in New York on Tuesday. The Libyan port crisis that strangled exports from North Africa’s biggest oil supplier extended into a fourth day. Meanwhile, spreading unrest in Iraq threatened shipments from OPEC’s No. 2 producer.
The Libyan disruption is significant because “there is a lot demand for light, sweet crude” among refiners working to comply with stricter fuel rules, said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group Inc.
Oil prices also were pressured as a deadly virus from China spread to the U.S.
Oil erased some earlier declines as concern mounted about supply disruptions in Libya and Iraq despite ample output from other major producers.
Futures trimmed losses to settle little changed near $58 a barrel in New York on Tuesday. The Libyan port crisis that strangled exports from North Africa’s biggest oil supplier extended into a fourth day. Meanwhile, spreading unrest in Iraq threatened shipments from OPEC’s No. 2 producer.
The Libyan disruption is significant because “there is a lot demand for light, sweet crude” among refiners working to comply with stricter fuel rules, said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group Inc.
Oil prices also were pressured as a deadly virus from China spread to the U.S.
West Texas Intermediate futures for February declined 20 cents to settle at $58.34 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract expires Tuesday.
Brent crude for March settlement dropped 61 cents to $64.59 on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London.
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