Oil coasts to sixth weekly gain after Saudis, Russia extend cuts

Yesterday’s OPEC+ meeting included an extension of oil supply cuts till September, possibly even longer. Goldman Sachs estimates record-breaking oil consumption in July.
Archival picture. | Photo: Ramzi Boudina/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
Archival picture. | Photo: Ramzi Boudina/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
by Yongchang Chin, Bloomberg

Oil headed for a sixth straight weekly gain, the longest winning streak in more than a year, after OPEC+ heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Russia extended production cuts into next month and US stockpiles sank by a record.

West Texas Intermediate climbed toward USD 82 a barrel, taking gains over the six-week span to about 18 percent. Saudi Arabia said Thursday it would extend its unilateral 1 million barrel a day oil output cut into September, and that the move could be prolonged further or even deepened. Russia will also extend its cut into next month, although it tapered the size of the reduction.

The conflict in Ukraine was also in focus after the Caspian Pipeline Consortium said that Russian authorities temporarily closed Novorossiysk port for marine traffic after a drone attack. Still, oil loadings on moored tankers continued, and there has been no damage to CPC infrastructure, it said. 

Crude’s rally means futures in New York have now erased all their year-to-date losses after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies delivered a collective reduction in supply, which Saudi Arabia and Russia augmented with the additional voluntary cuts that have just been extended. Later Friday, an OPEC+ committee is due to review the market.

“These supply cuts are finally tightening the oil market, especially at the time of peak summer demand,” said Charu Chanana, market strategist at Saxo Capital Markets, referring to the OPEC+ curbs.

US data this week showed the largest-ever drawdown of crude inventories as holdings plunged by more than 17 million barrels, providing further evidence of a tightening market. That helped WTI’s timespreads to strengthen, with the gap between the two nearest December contracts rising above USD 5.50 a barrel in backwardation from about USD 3 a month ago.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimated this week that global oil consumption swelled to a record in July, outpacing supplies and putting the market in a deficit. ANZ Group Holdings Ltd., meanwhile, said supply cuts were tightening the market and Brent could rally to USD 100 a barrel by year-end.

Prices:
  • WTI for September delivery rose 0.2 percent to USD 81.72 a barrel at 1:37 p.m. in Singapore.
  • Brent for October settlement was 0.2 percent higher at USD 85.27 a barrel.

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