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Oil falls by more than $1/bbl on US unrefined build, security hazard worries

Oil futures sank by $1 a. barrel on Wednesday as surging U.S. crude inventories pushed. down prices and a possible security threat to the U.S. that. might moisten oil demand worldwide's largest economy.

Brent crude futures settled at $81.60 a barrel,. shedding, $1.17, or 1.4%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI). unrefined futures settled at $76.64 a barrel, losing $1.23,. or a 1.6%.

U.S. unrefined stocks jumped by 12 million barrels to 439.5. million barrels last week, the Energy Details Administration. stated, far surpassing analysts' expectations in a survey for. a 2.6 million-barrel increase as refining dropped to its least expensive. levels considering that December 2022.

The refinery usage rate is a pseudo disaster, down. four to five weeks in a row at the end of winter said Bob. Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho, including that. refiners have kept activity slow even after emerging from a deep. freeze that hindered operations last month.

Refinery crude runs last week fell by 298,000 barrels per. day to 14.5 million bpd and refinery usage rates reduced. by 1.8 percentage points to 80.6% of overall capability, both the. least expensive levels given that Winter season Storm Elliott similarly knocked. ratings of refineries offline in December 2022.

The U.S. Congress intelligence chair alerted of a. ' serious national nationwide threatDanger, without providing offering. details, frightening some oil financiers.

At the danger of sounding flip, war and/or horror occasions. outside the oil producing regions are bearish for oil rates due. to the expected hit to demand, John Kilduff, partner at New. York-based Again Capital.

Prices drew some support from a month-to-month report on Tuesday. from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. ( OPEC) that said worldwide oil demand will rise by 2.25 million bpd. in 2024 and by 1.85 million bpd in 2025. Both projections were. unchanged from last month.

In other OPEC news, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia. al-Sudani held a meeting with Saudi Energy Minister Prince. Abdulaziz bin Salman, in which he highlighted the significance of. coordination between the 2 nations to keep stability in. oil markets.

Kazakhstan stated it will compensate in coming months for its. oil overproduction in January, fulfilling its commitment to OPEC+. production cuts.

Geopolitical aspects also influenced oil markets, consisting of. conflicts in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine and the growing. view that U.S. rate of interest cuts will begin behind. formerly expected.

Currently events around Israel and Gaza, together with. Ukraine's war versus Russia, weighs more on sentiment than. frustrating U.S. inflation information, stated PVM analyst Tamas. Varga.

(source: Reuters)