Oil prices edge up as Hurricane Delta approaches U.S. Gulf of Mexico | Reuters

Oil prices edge up as Hurricane Delta approaches U.S. Gulf of Mexico | Reuters:

Oil prices inched up on Thursday as oil workers evacuated rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Delta, though fuel demand concerns persisted on fading chances for a U.S. economic stimulus deal and a build in U.S. crude inventories.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 3 cents, or 0.1%, to $39.98 a barrel at 0435 GMT, after falling 1.8% on Wednesday.

Brent crude futures rose 9 cents, or 0.2%, to $42.08 a barrel, after falling 1.6% on Wednesday.

With Hurricane Delta forecast to intensify into a Category 3 storm with winds of up to 120 miles per hour (193 km per hour), oil producers have evacuated 183 offshore facilities and halted nearly 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil output.