Oil prices are slightly reduced in trading on Thursday after a steady rise in the previous session.
Traders are keeping an eye on the situation in China, as well as evaluating the announcement of the US Department of Energy regarding plans to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
The authorities of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, are preparing to ease quarantine restrictions in certain areas of the city, which is home to 21 million people, Bloomberg reports.
On the eve of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that the demand for oil in China in 2022 may decline for the first time since 1990 due to tough measures taken by the authorities to curb the spread of coronavirus. According to the IEA forecast, oil demand in China will decrease by 2.7% this year.
The price of November futures for Brent oil on the London ICE Futures exchange by 8:20 q.m. on Thursday is $93.9 per barrel, which is $0.2 (0.21%) lower than the closing price of the previous session. As a result of trading on Wednesday, these contracts rose by $0.93 (1%) to $94.1 per barrel.
The price of futures for WTI oil for October in the electronic trading of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is $88.41 per barrel by this time, which is $0.07 (0.08%) lower than the final value of the previous session. By the close of the market the day before, the value of these contracts increased by $1.17 (1.3%) to $88.48 per barrel.
The U.S. Department of Energy said on Wednesday that it could start replenishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) only after fiscal year 2023, which begins on October 1. Earlier, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that the US intends to start replenishing the SPR when oil prices fall below $80 per barrel. The Ministry of Energy noted that its plan for SPR does not provide for a trigger price that should provoke oil purchases.
