Friday 21 June 2024

Oil prices set for second week of gains on signs demand improving | Reuters

Oil prices set for second week of gains on signs demand improving | Reuters

Crude oil futures were little changed on Friday but were set to rise for a second week amid signs of improving demand and falling oil and fuel inventories in the U.S., the world's biggest oil consumer.

Brent futures for August settlement dipped 18 cents to $85.53 a barrel by 0656 GMT, after rising 0.8% in the previous session.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for August delivery were down 14 cents to $81.15 per barrel. The July contract expired on Thursday at $82.17, up 0.7%.

Prices have risen about 5% since the beginning of the month to their highest in over seven weeks.

"The seasonal demand increase, as shown by the latest EIA data, renewed confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, and the hurricane season could sustain price strength into the summer," Citi analysts said in a note.

U.S. government data released on Thursday showed total product supplied, a proxy for the country's oil demand, rose by 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in the week ending June 14 to 21.1 million bpd.

No comments:

Post a Comment