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Oil rebounds on Mideast tensions however China data caps gains

Oil futures rebounded more than $1 a barrel from 7week lows on Wednesday after the killing of a Hamas leader in Iran ratcheted up stress in the Middle East, but costs remain under pressure from issues about weak China demand.

Brent unrefined futures climbed $1.50, or 1.91%, to $ 80.13 a barrel by 0828 GMT ahead of expiry on Wednesday, while the more active October contract was at $79.55, up $ 1.48.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up $ 1.54, or 2.06%, to $76.27 a barrel.

A day earlier Brent and WTI both fell about 1.4%, closing at their least expensive levels in seven weeks. Tension in the Middle East warmed up on news that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran. This came a day after the Israeli government claimed it killed Hezbollah's most senior leader in an airstrike on Beirut in retaliation for Saturday's rocket attack on Israel. Individually, the United States also carried out a strike in Iraq in the most recent dispute in the area.

Over night developments and raised geopolitical danger merely supply short-lived reprieve for oil benchmarks. Unless oil and gas infrastructure is struck, the latest spike is unlikely to last, said Gaurav Sharma, an independent oil analyst in London. Still, Brent and WTI are on track in July to publish their biggest month-to-month loss given that October 2023 on sticking around concerns about China's need outlook and expectations OPEC+ will stay with their present offer on production and begin loosening up some output cuts from October.

Leading ministers from OPEC+, will hold an online joint ministerial tracking committee meeting (JMMC) on Thursday.

Slowing fuel need in China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, is also weighing on oil markets. China's manufacturing activity in July shrank for a third month, an official factory survey revealed on Wednesday.

Issues about Chinese demand stay elevated as today's. PMIs declined, with the production sector even more. contracting. This recommends that any extra gains due to. heightening tensions in the Middle East may stay restricted and. short lived, stated Charalampos Pissouros, senior investment. analyst at brokerage XM. In the U.S., crude, gas and distillate stocks fell. recently, according to market sources mentioning American Petroleum. Institute figures on Tuesday.

Information from the Energy Info Administration is due at. 10:30 a.m. EDT

(source: Reuters)