Both contracts are still headed for their third consecutive weekly decline after hitting 10-month lows this week
25 November 2022 - 13:11
byShadia Nasralla
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London — Oil prices rose on Friday in thin market liquidity, closing a week marked by worries about Chinese demand and haggling over a Western price cap on Russian oil.
Brent crude futures were up $1.29, or 1.5%, to trade at $86.63 a barrel at 10.24am GMT.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $1.56, or 2%, at $79.50 a barrel. There was no WTI settlement on Thursday due to the US Thanksgiving holiday and trading volumes remained low.
Both contracts were still headed for their third consecutive weekly decline after hitting 10-month lows this week.
Brent’s market structure implies current demand is soft, with backwardation, defined by front-month prices trading above contracts for later delivery, having weakened in recent sessions .
For the two-month spread, Brent's structure even briefly dipped into contango this week, implying oversupply with near-term delivery contracts below later deliveries.
China, the world’s top oil importer, on Friday reported a new daily record for Covid-19 infections, as cities across the country continued to enforce mobility measures and other curbs to control outbreaks.
This is starting to hit fuel demand, with traffic drifting down and implied oil demand around 1-million barrels per day lower than average, an ANZ note showed.
Meanwhile, G7 and EU diplomats have been discussing a Russian oil price cap between $65 and $70 a barrel, but an agreement has still not been reached.
The aim is to limit revenue to fund Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine without disrupting global oil markets, but the proposed level is broadly in line with what Asian buyers are already paying.
Trading is expected to remain cautious ahead of an agreement on the price cap, due to come into effect on December 5 when an EU ban on Russian crude kicks off, and ahead of the next meeting of Opec+ on December 4.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Oil prices rise after trying week
Both contracts are still headed for their third consecutive weekly decline after hitting 10-month lows this week
London — Oil prices rose on Friday in thin market liquidity, closing a week marked by worries about Chinese demand and haggling over a Western price cap on Russian oil.
Brent crude futures were up $1.29, or 1.5%, to trade at $86.63 a barrel at 10.24am GMT.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $1.56, or 2%, at $79.50 a barrel. There was no WTI settlement on Thursday due to the US Thanksgiving holiday and trading volumes remained low.
Both contracts were still headed for their third consecutive weekly decline after hitting 10-month lows this week.
Brent’s market structure implies current demand is soft, with backwardation, defined by front-month prices trading above contracts for later delivery, having weakened in recent sessions .
For the two-month spread, Brent's structure even briefly dipped into contango this week, implying oversupply with near-term delivery contracts below later deliveries.
China, the world’s top oil importer, on Friday reported a new daily record for Covid-19 infections, as cities across the country continued to enforce mobility measures and other curbs to control outbreaks.
This is starting to hit fuel demand, with traffic drifting down and implied oil demand around 1-million barrels per day lower than average, an ANZ note showed.
Meanwhile, G7 and EU diplomats have been discussing a Russian oil price cap between $65 and $70 a barrel, but an agreement has still not been reached.
The aim is to limit revenue to fund Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine without disrupting global oil markets, but the proposed level is broadly in line with what Asian buyers are already paying.
Trading is expected to remain cautious ahead of an agreement on the price cap, due to come into effect on December 5 when an EU ban on Russian crude kicks off, and ahead of the next meeting of Opec+ on December 4.
Reuters
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