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Oil rates dip as geopolitical dangers stabilise, China demand weighs

Oil rates alleviated on Tuesday as the leading U.S. diplomat renewed efforts to promote a. ceasefire in the Middle East and as slowing need growth in. China, the world's leading oil importer, continued to weigh on the. market.

Brent unrefined futures for December delivery were down. 19 cents, or 0.3%, at $74.1 a barrel at 0350 GMT. U.S. West. Texas Intermediate unrefined futures for November shipment. were 18 cents lower at $70.43 a barrel on the agreement's last. day as the front month.

The more actively traded WTI futures for December,. which will quickly become the front month, lost 14 cents, or 0.2%,. to $69.9 per barrel.

Both Brent and WTI settled almost 2% greater on Monday,. recovering some of recently's more than 7% decline, without any. letup of combating in the Middle East and the market still. anxious about Israel's anticipated retaliation versus Iran. possibly causing a disruption of oil supply.

Monday's gains can be attributed to technical profit-taking. and short covering offered oil's bearish trend with projections. pointing towards softer need and oversupplied oil markets,. stated Priyanka Sachdeva, senior expert at Phillip Nova, a. brokerage company.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to the Middle. East on Monday seeking to revive talk with end the Gaza war and. defuse the spillover conflict in Lebanon.

Crude oil prices have actually been fluctuating in response to blended. news from the Middle East, as the scenario alternates between. escalation and de-escalation, Satoru Yoshida, a commodity. expert with Rakuten Securities.

The market is expected to increase if there are clearer signs. of China's financial recovery, bolstered by Beijing's stimulus. procedures and improvement in U.S. economy following rate of interest. cuts, he stated. However gains are most likely to be restricted by consistent. uncertainty about the overall worldwide economic outlook, he added.

China on Monday cut benchmark financing rates as anticipated. at the regular monthly fixing, following reductions to other policy. rates last month as part of a package of stimulus measures to. revive the economy.

The relocation follows data on Friday revealed China's economy. grew at the slowest rate considering that early 2023 in the third quarter,. fuelling growing issues about oil demand.

China's oil-demand development is expected to remain weak in 2025. in spite of current stimulus steps from Beijing as the world's No. 2 economy energizes its vehicle fleet and grows at a slower rate,. the head of the International Energy Firm stated on Monday.

Still, Saudi Aramco is fairly bullish on China's. oil need particularly in light of the federal government's stimulus. bundle which aims to increase development, the head of the state-owned. oil giant stated on Monday.

Also adding to the down pressure on oil market was. the U.S. dollar strength driven by a gradual easing of international. inflation, Phillip Nova's Sachdeva stated.

A more powerful dollar generally weighs on oil costs as it makes. the greenback-priced product more expensive for non-dollar. holders to purchase.

U.S. crude oil stockpiles most likely rose last week, while. extract and gas stocks were seen down, a. initial Reuters poll showed on Monday.

(source: Reuters)