2020-09-04 12:30:00
OIL PRICE: NOT BELOW $44
REUTERS - SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 - Oil held around $44 a barrel on Friday and was heading for its biggest weekly decline since June, as weak demand figures added to concerns of a slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A U.S. government report showed domestic gasoline demand fell in the latest week. Middle distillates inventories at Asia's oil hub Singapore have soared above a nine-year high, official data showed.
Brent crude LCOc1, the international benchmark, was up 5 cents, or 0.1%, to $44.12 at 0745 GMT, heading for a 2.3% drop this week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) CLc1 fell 3 cents to $41.34, set for the first weekly drop in five weeks.
In focus on Friday will be U.S. payrolls figures at 1230 GMT, which could be a selling trigger if an expected slowdown in hiring is steeper than forecast. The unemployment rate is expected to fall to 9.8% from 10.2%.
"Demand concerns are firmly front and centre of traders' minds," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. "Today's non-farm U.S. payroll report will be closely watched and a disappointing number could be the next bearish catalyst."
FGE analysts said rising coronavirus cases worldwide and renewed lockdowns would dash hopes of a drawdown in oil inventories for some time. The pressure remains on refiners to keep operating rates low, FGE said.
Oil has recovered from April, when Brent slumped to a 21-year low below $16 and U.S. crude briefly went into negative territory.
A record supply cut since May by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, a grouping known as OPEC+, has supported prices.
OPEC began in August to ease the volume of the cutback, raising output by almost 1 million barrels per day according to a Reuters survey.
-----
Earlier:
2020, September, 3, 12:50:00
OIL PRICE: BELOW $44
Brent fell 79 cents, or 1.8%, to $43.64 a barrel, WTI were down 67 cents, or 1.6%, at $40.84 a barrel.
2020, September, 2, 13:15:00
OIL PRICE: BELOW $46 YET
Brent was up 37 cents, or 0.8%, to $45.95 a barrel, WTI rose 34 cents, or 0.8%, to $43.10.
2020, September, 1, 15:05:00
OIL PRICE: BELOW $46 AGAIN
Brent climbed 61 cents to $45.89 a barrel, WTI rose 53 cents, hitting $43.14 a barrel.
2020, August, 31, 12:30:00
OIL PRICE: NOT BELOW $46
Brent advanced to $46.50 a barrel, WTI was at $43.48 a barrel, up 51 cents, or 1.2%.
2020, August, 28, 15:45:20
OIL PRICE: NOT BELOW $45 YET
Brent was down 7 cents to $44.99 a barrel, WTI were down 3 cents to $43.01 a barrel.
2020, August, 27, 13:55:00
OIL PRICE: NOT BELOW $45 AGAIN
Brent rose 6 cents, or, 0.1% to $45.70 a barrel, WTI fell 8 cents or 0.2% to $43.31 a barrel.
2020, August, 27, 13:50:00
U.S. OIL INVENTORIES DOWN BY 4.7 MB TO 507.8 MB
U.S. commercial crude oil inventories decreased by 4.7 million barrels to 507.8 million barrels,
2020, August, 26, 12:45:00
U.S. OIL MARKET UPDOWN
“Although the market remains uncertain, we saw encouraging signs in July with gradual rebalancing of oil supply and demand,” API Chief Economist Dean Forman said. “Increases in U.S. refinery throughput and capacity utilization in July – coupled with inventories receding from record highs – has reinforced expectations for the continued demand recovery.”
