OIL PRICE: NEAR $81

REUTERS - Crude prices jumped 1 percent on Friday, rebounding after two days of heavy declines with support from robust Chinese crude imports, but oil was still heading for its first weekly drop in five weeks.

Brent crude futures had risen $1.02 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $81.28 a barrel by 0637 GMT. The contract dropped 3.4 percent on Thursday following sharp falls in equity markets and indications that supply concerns have been overblown.

Brent is still on course for a 3.4 percent decline this week, the biggest drop in about four months.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 80 cents, or 1.1 percent, at $71.77 a barrel, after a 3 percent fall in the previous session. WTI is on track for a 3.5 percent drop this week.

Asian shares found a slightly firmer footing on Friday to set course for their first gains in two weeks, but the rout continued in Shanghai after Wall Street extended its slide into a sixth session. 

China's daily crude oil imports in September hit their highest level since May, customs data showed on Friday.

Shipments into the country last month totaled 37.12 million tonnes, or 9.05 million barrels per day (bpd), up from 9.04 million bpd in August and their third straight monthly rise.

Elsewhere, U.S. crude inventories climbed by 6 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said, more than double analyst expectations of a 2.6 million-barrel increase.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut its forecast of global demand growth for oil next year for a third straight month, citing headwinds facing the broader economy from trade disputes and volatile emerging markets.

OPEC sees the oil market as well supplied and is wary of creating a glut next year, the group's secretary-general said on Thursday.

"We still estimate oil demand growing at 1.2 million to 1.5 million barrels per day for this year, and see the risk of a slowdown in 2019 if trade tension escalates," ANZ Research analysts said in a report.

In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, producers had cut output by 40 percent on Thursday due to Hurricane Michael, even as some operators began returning crews to offshore platforms.

Michael crashed ashore at Florida on Wednesday as the third most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland. It has since weakened to a tropical storm.

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Earlier: 

2018, October, 10, 08:25:00 OIL PRICE: NEAR $85 ANEW REUTERS - Brent crude LCOc1 futures were down 2 cents at $84.98 a barrel by 0049 GMT, after a 1.3 percent gain on Tuesday. US. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was down by 16 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $74.8 a barrel, after rising nearly 1 percent in the previous session.

2018, October, 8, 11:25:00 OIL PRICE: NEAR $83 REUTERS - International benchmark Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were at $83.26 per barrel at 0352 GMT, down 90 cents, or 1.1 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were down 54 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $73.80 a barrel.

2018, October, 8, 11:20:00 СТАБИЛЬНАЯ ЦЕНА НЕФТИ МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Министр отметил, что Россия выступает за то, чтобы Иран как крупнейшая страна-экспортер энергоресурсов оставался участником рынка. "Мы не приемлем односторонних санкций, которые не соответствуют решениям ООН. Безусловно, нужно с юридической точки зрения оценивать дальнейшие возможности и механизмы взаимодействия с Ираном, чтобы наши компании не понесли ущерба», - отметил Министр.

2018, October, 8, 10:45:00 RUSSIA'S - SAUDIS OIL RISKS PLATTS - "Prices are continuing to rise and I think that proves the point that it is not the fundamentals of oil supply and demand that is behind this price increase," Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said, during a key session of the forum Thursday.

2018, October, 5, 12:50:00 OIL PRICE: NEAR $85 ANEW REUTERS - Benchmark Brent crude oil was up 10 cents a barrel at $84.68 by 0820 GMT. On Thursday, Brent fell by $1.34 a barrel or 1.6 percent. The contract is on course for a gain of around 2.5 percent for the week. U.S. light crude was up 30 cents at $74.63, a gain of more than 2 percent since last Friday.

2018, October, 5, 12:45:00 РОССИЯ: РАВНОВЕСИЕ НА РЫНКЕ МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Говоря о динамике цен на энергоресурсы, Александр Новак подчеркнул, что главной задачей как для России, так и для других участников договоренностей о регулировании добычи нефти всегда было балансирование рынка, а не рост стоимости до определенных уровней.

2018, October, 5, 12:40:00 РОССИЯ: +300 000 БАРРЕЛЕЙ МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - цифры были названы президентом РФ: мы в краткосрочном периоде можем увеличить еще на 200-300 тысяч баррелей, если при этом будет необходимость и целесообразность, потому что основная задача — баланс спроса и предложения, чтобы не нарушить равновесие на рынке, а наоборот его сохранить.