Oil prices stabilize, set for weekly gain on hopes for supply cut - Reuters

Oil prices stabilize, set for weekly gain on hopes for supply cut - Reuters:

Oil prices edged higher Friday, on track for their first weekly gain in six weeks, backed by expectations that major producers will implement deeper output cuts to offset slowing demand in China caused by the coronavirus epidemic.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 13 cents at $56.47 a barrel by 0731 GMT, after gaining 1% the previous session. Brent is 3.7% higher for the week, the first increase since the week of Jan. 3.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures CLc1 were 14 cents higher at $51.56 a barrel. The contract rose 0.5% on Thursday and is now 2.4% higher for the week. 


“Oil prices appear to have stabilized this week on optimism that OPEC+ will once again do whatever it takes to tighten output and on hope that the coronavirus peak is nearing,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York.