Oil set for longest winning streak in two months on U.S. output

Oil headed for its longest winning streak in two months after declines in U.S. crude production and gasoline inventories allayed some concerns that world markets remain oversupplied.

Futures rose as much as 1.1 percent in New York to the highest in two weeks after advancing 5.2 percent in the previous five sessions. U.S. production tumbled by 100,000 barrels a day last week, the most since early July, the Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. The decline was likely driven by field maintenance in Alaska and the impact of tropical storm Cindy. Crude stockpiles unexpectedly expanded while gasoline inventories fell a second week.

Oil in New York and London tumbled into a bear market last week on concerns that rising global supply will counter output cuts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners. U.S. crude inventories remain more than 100 million barrels above the five-year seasonal average.

“Crude oil production registered a decent drop” and “this is what the market focused on,” said Tamas Varga, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates Ltd. in London. “Product figures were probably equally supportive.”

West Texas Intermediate for August delivery was at $45.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 44 cents, at 10:08 a.m. in London. Total volume traded was 4.7 percent below the 100-day average. The contract gained 50 cents to $44.74 on Wednesday. Prices are down 6.5 percent this month.

See also: Eyes-on-shale OPEC resists calls for deeper output cuts

Brent for August settlement, which expires Friday, gained 45 cents to $47.76 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract added 66 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $47.31 on Wednesday. The global benchmark traded at a premium of $2.57 to WTI.

U.S. crude output dropped to 9.25 million barrels a day last week, according to the EIA. Crude stockpiles rose by 118,000 barrels to 509.2 million, the first increase in three weeks. All 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg before the report had predicted inventories would decline.

Oil-market news:

• OPEC may need to make deeper supply cuts to rebalance the oil market as booming production from Libya and Nigeria threatens to undercut the group’s efforts, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Courtesy Bloomberg