2019-07-05 11:45:00
OIL PRICE: NEAR $63
REUTERS - Crude oil prices fell on Friday on weak economic indicators from the United States and Germany, shrugging off tensions around Iran and this week's decision by OPEC and its allies to extend a supply cut deal until next year.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were down $0.79 at $56.55 per barrel by 0754 GMT. There was no settlement price on Thursday because of the Independence Day holiday in the United States.
Front-month Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down $0.23 at $63.07 per barrel. Both benchmarks were set for their biggest weekly falls in five weeks.
"Oil prices eased lower on Friday morning as concerns over global economic growth offset escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East," RBC analysts said in a note.
Weak industrial demand gave a bearish signal for oil demand.
German industrial orders fell far more than expected in May, and the Economy Ministry warned on Friday that this sector of Europe's largest economy was likely to remain weak in the coming months.
In the United States, new orders for factory goods fell for a second straight month in May, government data showed on Wednesday, stoking economic concerns.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday reported a weekly decline of 1.1 million barrels in crude stocks, much smaller than the 5 million barrel draw reported by the American Petroleum Institute earlier in the week and analyst expectations.
Giving a floor to prices was this week's commitment to cut production from the world's largest exporters - including members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers such as Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+.
"Global growth remains the main factor holding back crude prices," said Alfonso Esparza, senior analyst at OANDA. "The OPEC+ deal will keep prices from falling too hard, but there must be an end to trade protectionism to assure the demand for energy products recovers."
Ongoing tension in the Middle East offered some support.
British Royal Marines seized a giant Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that drew Tehran's fury and could escalate its confrontation with the West.
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Earlier:
2019, July, 4, 16:50:00
OIL PRICE: ABOVE $63
Front-month Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were down 31 cents or 0.49% at $63.51 per barrel by 1320 GMT. Brent closed up 2.3% on Wednesday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were down 51 cents or 0.89% at $56.83 per barrel. WTI closed up 1.9% on Wednesday.
2019, July, 3, 11:55:00
OIL PRICE: NEAR $62
Brent crude futures LCOc1 for September delivery were trading up 12 cents, or 0.2%, at $62.52 a barrel, U.S. crude futures for August CLc1 were up 16 cents, or 0.3%, at $56.41 a barrel.
2019, July, 2, 15:00:00
OIL PRICE: NEAR $65 YET
Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down 15 cents, or 0.23%, at $64.91 a barrel , U.S. crude futures for August CLc1 were down 12 cents, or 0.20%, at $58.97 a barrel
2019, July, 1, 12:05:00
OIL PRICE: ABOVE $66
Front-month Brent crude futures touched an intraday high of $66.75 a barrel and were up $1.80 at $66.54 a barrel by 0834 GMT. U.S. crude futures for August climbed $1.57 to $60.04 a barrel, after earlier hitting their highest in over five weeks at $60.28.
2019, June, 28, 12:15:00
OIL PRICE: ABOVE $65 YET
Brent crude futures were down 35 cents, or 0.5%, at $66.20 per barrel, WTI crude CLc1 futures were down 30 cents, or 0.5%, at $59.13 a barrel.
2019, June, 25, 12:55:00
US CAN CLOSE HORMUZ
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that other countries, including China and Japan, should protect their own oil tankers in the Middle East.
2019, June, 25, 12:50:00
U.S. FINANCIAL RISKS UP
In addition, a number of medium-term risks are growing. The financial system appears healthy but vulnerabilities in leveraged corporates and, potentially, in the nonbank system are elevated by historical standards. An abrupt reversal of the recent supportive financial market conditions or a deepening of ongoing trade disputes represent material risks to the U.S. economy, with concomitant negative outward spillovers. The U.S. public debt-to-GDP ratio is on an unsustainable path and is expected to continue rising throughout the medium-term, as aging related spending rises.
