Oil prices rise; eurozone growth, US inventory draw help
Investing.com — Oil prices rose Wednesday, helped by positive European growth data on top of industry data showed an unexpected draw in U.S. inventories.
At 08:00 ET (12:00 GMT), Brent oil futures rose 1.1% to $71.53 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 1.2% to $68.00 a barrel.
Both contracts fell sharply this week after a less severe than feared strike by Israel against Iran helped ease some concerns over a dire escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Economic data in focus
Helping the tone Wednesday was the release of better-than-expected third quarter growth data from the eurozone, raising hope for future economic activity in this important consuming region.
The equivalent data is due from the U.S. later in the session, and is expected to show the world’s largest economy, and energy consumer, in solid health.
PCE price index data – the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge – and nonfarm payrolls data, a key labor market reading, are due on Friday.
The prints come before a Fed meeting next week, where the central bank is widely expected to cut rates by 25 basis points.
In Asia, purchasing managers index data from top oil importer China is due on Thursday. A meeting of the country’s National People’s Congress is set for next week and is expected to provide more cues on plans for increased fiscal spending.
The Bank of Japan is set to decide on interest rates on Thursday, amid heightened political uncertainty in the country, while the Reserve Bank of Australia is set to meet next week.
US inventories see weekly draw – API
Data from the American Petroleum Institute showed U.S. oil inventories fell 0.57 million barrels in the past week, compared with expectations for a build of 2.3 million barrels.
The reading usually heralds a similar trend in official inventory data, which is due later on Wednesday, and offered some relief to oil markets, in that it indicated supplies in the world’s biggest fuel consumer were somewhat tight.
Still, U.S. oil demand is expected to cool in the coming months as the winter season deters travel, while sustained pressure on the economy from sticky inflation and high interest rates is also expected to weigh.
The upcoming presidential elections were also a key point of uncertainty for markets, given that they will determine U.S. policy for the next four years. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are set for a tight race, with both candidates promising increased U.S. oil production as part of their agenda.
(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)
