Oil prices stabilize after drop to near 6-month low | Reuters

Oil prices stabilize after drop to near 6-month low | Reuters

Oil prices were broadly steady on Thursday as the market weighed tight supply against demand fears, after a build in U.S. crude and gasoline stocks sent prices to multi-month lows in the previous session.

Brent crude futures inched up 36 cents, or 0.37% to $97.14 a barrel by 0925 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 43 cents, a 0.47% gain, at $91.09.

Both benchmarks fell to on Wednesday to their weakest levels since before Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of UKraine, that Moscow calls "a special operation".

The move followed an unexpected surge in U.S. crude inventories last week. Gasoline stocks, the proxy for demand, also showed a surprise build as demand slowed, the Energy Information Administration said. read more

The decision on Wednesday by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, known as OPEC+, to raise its oil output target by 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) in September has added to bearish sentiment. read more