Oil Bounces Off 10-Month Lows; Crude Glut Still Weighs
NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - Oil rose on Thursday, a day after hitting 10-month lows, but market sentiment remained negative because the global crude glut has persisted despite OPEC-led output cuts.
Brent crude futures ended 40 cents higher to $45.22 a barrel, after falling as low as $44.53. Brent fell 2.6 percent the previous session to $44.35, lowest since November.
U.S. crude futures ended up 21 cents a barrel at $42.74 a barrel. On Wednesday, they hit a low of $42.05, their lowest intraday level since August 2016.
Crude has dropped around 20 percent since late February, erasing gains after OPEC and other countries agreed to cut crude output 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) for the first six months of 2017.
Last month, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers extended the output cut deal for nine months. But the global crude glut has persisted, with output rising in Libya and Nigeria, OPEC members exempt from the cuts.
The price slide has tested OPEC's pledge to do "whatever it takes" to support oil prices.
"We think it is lower for longer and rallies should be sold," said Tariq Zahir, crude trader and managing member at Tyche Capital Advisors in New York.
In the United States, heavy oversupply in gasoline stocks has caused demand on the Colonial pipeline to hit a six-year low.
Crude output is still increasing in the United States, where some shale producers can profit even if oil prices drop below $40 a barrel.
Oil stocks in Europe's Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub hit 64.2 million barrels in the week to June 16, the highest in a year, according to data from industry monitor Genscape.
"The question is whether OPEC will respond with further cuts or whether it needs to look again at its macro strategy for addressing low prices," Michael Burns, oil and gas partner at law firm Ashurst, said.
Iraq Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi said oil prices should start recovering by the end of July, to reach $54 to $56 a barrel by the end of the year.
Tropical depression Cindy disrupted some operations in the Gulf of Mexico, home to about 17 percent of U.S. crude and 5 percent of dry natural gas output, supporting markets modestly. However, the storm is on the wane, even though heavy rains still threaten several U.S. Gulf states.
(Additional reporting by Libby George in London; Editing by David Gregorio)
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Weatherford CEO's Rebound Plan Relies On Getting Smaller
- Iran Says Oil Market Is Too Tight For US Zero Exports Target
- China's Squeezed 'Teapots' Eye Petchem Path To Riches
- Baker Hughes: US Drillers Add Oil Rigs For Second Week In Three
- Venezuela Hands China More Oil Presence, But No Mention Of New Funds
- ExxonMobil Racks Up Discoveries in Guyana Block Eyed by Chevron
- Oil Market Sentiment Has Improved Significantly
- EU, US Eye Collaboration on Nuclear Materials
- USA Driving Activity to Increase to All-Time Highs
- TC Energy to Sell Prince Rupert Gas Pipeline Project to First Nation
- EU Electricity Export to Ukraine Up 94 Percent in Two Years
- China Coal Output Falls for First Time since Government Ordered More
- BP Pulse Buys One of Europe's Largest Truck Stops
- UK CCUS Plans Outdated: Think Tank
- North America Enters Rig Loss Streak
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- EIA Drops 2024 Henry Hub Gas Price Forecast
- EIA and Standard Chartered Offer Up Latest Oil Price Predictions
- Red Sea Region Sees Another Watershed Incident
- Chevron Oil Project in Kazakhstan to Cost $48.5B
- OPEC Voices Encouragement after IEA Affirms Support for Oil Security
- Biden Govt Bares Strategy for Freight Charging, Hydrogen Fueling Infra
- Rystad Looks at the Buzz Around White Hydrogen
- Ukraine Hits Third Russian Refinery In Escalating Drone Strikes
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Is Peak Oil Demand Close?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Reveal Latest Oil Price Forecasts
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Rystad Forecasts Net Production of Top Permian Producers in 2024
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension