Oil prices were broadly steady on Thursday, shored up by a surprise U.S. crude stock drop and the U.S. Federal Reserve sticking to its outlook on rate cuts for the year.
Brent crude futures for May were down 17 cents, or 0.2%, to
$85.78 a barrel by 1359 GMT. They fell by 1.6% on Wednesday.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for May were down 20
cents, or 0.3%, to $81.07 a barrel after a fall of about 1.8% in the previous
session.
Crude inventories in the United States, the world's biggest
oil consumer, fell for a second week, the U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA) reported on Wednesday.
Stockpiles unexpectedly declined by 2 million barrels to 445
million barrels in the week ended March 15, as exports rose and refiners
continued to increase activity. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a
13,000-barrel rise. [EIA/S]
"It seems that the bullish mantra is still intact, with
yet another unexpected drawdown in U.S. crude inventories last week while
market participants continue to price for the risks of further supply
disruption on the Russia-Ukraine front, said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist
at IG.
Gasoline inventories fell for a seventh week, down 3.3
million barrels to 230.8 million, suggesting steady strong fuel demand. Oil
refinery runs ramped up by 127,000 barrels per day and utilisation rates rose.
Investors also took heart from the U.S. central bank, which
held interest rates in a range of 5.25% to 5.50% on Wednesday, but kept to an
outlook for three rate cuts this year.
Lower rates could boost economic growth, in good news for
oil sales.
U.S. business activity held steady in March, but prices
increased across the board, suggesting that inflation could remain elevated
after picking up at the start of the year.
Meanwhile, U.S. Labor Department data on Thursday showed the
number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly
fell last week, suggesting that job growth remained strong in March.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries also prompted
investors to trade crude at higher prices, factoring in that the strikes could
hit global petroleum supplies.
Ukrainian drones have targeted at least seven Russian
refineries this month. The attacks have shut down 7%, or around 370,500 barrels
per day, of Russian refining capacity, according to Reuters calculations.
Analysts say prolonged disruptions could force Russian
producers to reduce supply if they are unable to export crude oil and face
storage constraints.
Elsewhere, Germany's economy was likely in recession in the
first quarter of 2024 as weak consumption and anaemic industrial demand
continue to push the recovery further into the future, the central bank said in
a regular economic report on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, the Bank of England's governor said
Britain's economy is "moving in the right direction" for the central
bank to start cutting interest rates.
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