✂ Fed’s first rate cut since 2020: Use our free Stock Screener to find new opportunities fastExplore for FREE

Oil prices fall 3 percent on stronger dollar, renewed glut worries

Published 14/12/2016, 19:58
© Reuters. A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California
SOGN
-
LCO
-
CL
-
DXY
-

By Devika Krishna Kumar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slid more than 3 percent on Wednesday as the dollar jumped after the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to hike U.S. interest rates and after a jump in crude inventories at the biggest U.S. storage centre renewed concerns about a glut.

Crude tumbled to session lows after the Fed raised interest rates a quarter-point and signalled a faster pace of increases in 2017. The dollar rose (DXY), making oil more expensive for countries using other currencies.

Brent crude futures (LCOc1) settled at $53.90 per barrel, down $1.82, or 3.27 percent after falling as low as $53.80. U.S. crude (CLc1) ended the session down $1.94, or 3.66 percent at $51.04 per barrel after hitting a low of $50.92.

Earlier, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma, hub rose for the sixth time in seven weeks.

Overall U.S. crude inventories fell 2.6 million barrels in the latest week, the data showed, much more than the decline of 1.6 million barrels analysts had forecast. [EIA/S]

Traders noted that most declines were in PADD 5, the West Coast, saying that did not truly reflect supply-demand fundamentals. Crude stocks in PADD 5 fell about 2.3 million barrels.

"This week really doesn't point to an effort to clear inventories from PADD3 (Gulf Coast) like many expected," said Troy Vincent, analyst at New York-based ClipperData.

"The decline in stocks is predominately from the West Coast, while Gulf Coast imports actually ticked higher and stocks only fell 400,000 bpd."

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries signalled a growing oil supply surplus next year unless members implement their deal to curb output from record levels and outside producers also deliver on cutback pledges.

In a monthly report, OPEC said that without cuts the 2017 overhang would reach 1.24 million bpd, about 300,000 bpd higher than the forecast in its previous report.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said it would take time for the market to recover after the deal between OPEC and rival producers to limit supplies.

OPEC and 11 other producing countries agreed to cut almost 1.8 million bpd of production in an effort to end two years of oversupply and cheap oil.

However, Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that adjustments by oil companies would be "voluntary" to meet Moscow's commitment to trim output by 300,000 bpd.

© Reuters. A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California

"History shows that Russia has a very poor track record in keeping its promises when it comes to cutting output in cooperation with OPEC; Russia has never actually done any cutting in the past," Michael Wittner, global head of oil research at Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) said in a note.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.