Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

UPDATE 2-Oil prices steady after overnight tumble on dollar strength, China concerns

Published 2017-08-15, 02:32 a/m
Updated 2017-08-15, 03:10 a/m
© Reuters.  UPDATE 2-Oil prices steady after overnight tumble on dollar strength, China concerns

© Reuters. UPDATE 2-Oil prices steady after overnight tumble on dollar strength, China concerns

(Updates prices, adds line on Chinese shale hubs, analyst quote)

By Fergus Jensen

SINGAPORE, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Tuesday after sharp falls the session before to the lowest in about three weeks as a stronger U.S. dollar and a drop in Chinese refining runs hit the market.

Global benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 3 cents, or 0.1 percent, at $50.76 at 0551 GMT. That was just above the contract's 100-day moving average, briefly breached in the previous session.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 were down 1 cent at $47.58 a barrel.

Oil prices tumbled more than 2.5 percent on Monday in volatile trade as the dollar strength and the demand concerns in China, the world's second-largest oil user, weighed on sentiment. A stronger dollar tends to limit the demand for oil for buyers paying in other currencies. Both Brent and WTI had reached two-month highs on Aug. 10. speculative long positioning and a reluctance to hold unprofitable positions has been the main force behind the oil rally running out of steam over the last few sessions," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at brokerage OANDA.

Chinese oil refineries operated in July at their lowest daily rates since September 2016, official data showed on Monday, to ease brimming inventories as state-owned oil giants faced off independents in a retail petrol price war.

Analysts said the drop was steeper than expected, exacerbating concerns that a glut of refined fuel products could weaken Chinese demand for oil. dollar firmed on Tuesday after North Korea's leader signalled that he would delay plans to fire a missile near Guam, further easing tensions and prompting investors to move back into riskier assets.

The dollar index .DXY , which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, climbed 0.4 percent on Monday and was up 0.1 percent on Tuesday. announcement by the Nigerian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L that it had lifted a force majeure on Bonny Light crude exports also added to market surplus woes. prices had earlier on Monday been supported by reports that Libya's top oilfield had cut its output by 30 percent on security concerns. mere supply cut is not going to boost prices," said Sukrit Vijayakar, director of energy consultancy Trifecta. "We actually need product demand for that to happen."

U.S. crude stockpiles USOILC=ECI likely fell for the seventh consecutive week, along with a probable fall in distillate and gasoline inventories last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed. weekly U.S. crude inventory report from the industry group American Petroleum Institute (API) is due out later on Tuesday. Official U.S. government statistics will be released on Wednesday.

Efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil producers to limit output have helped lift Brent past $50 a barrel, but concerns remain that these efforts could be undermined by producers in the U.S. and other countries.

U.S. shale oil production is expected to grow for its ninth consecutive month in September to 6.15 million barrels per day, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Monday. Brent may fall more to $50.09 -TECHNICALS

U.S. oil may slide more to $47.23 -TECHNICALS

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.