Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

Oil prices jump, shrug of equity slump and glut concerns

Image
Reuters TOKYO
Last Updated : Feb 09 2016 | 7:07 AM IST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Crude oil prices jumped as much as 2 percent in early Asian trade on Tuesday, shrugging off big drops in Japan's stock market and eroding some of the previous session's losses that were driven by festering concerns about global oversupply.

U.S. crude was up 44 cents at $30.13 a barrel at 0103 GMT, after rising as far as $30.30. The contract fell nearly 4 percent on Monday, finishing at $29.69.

Global crude benchmark Brent was up 17 cents at $33.05 a barrel. It settled the previous session down $1.18 at $33.88.

Prices on Monday were hit by a drop in U.S. equity markets amid persistent fears about the global economic slowdown.

But on Tuesday, oil market traders seemed to ignore a 4-percent drop in Japan's Nikkei <.N225>. Many Asian markets are closed for Lunar New Year holidays, with oil trade volumes thin.

The U.S. dollar fell against the Japanese yen <=JPY> as sentiment towards most risk assets turned bearish amid concerns about banking stability.

More From This Section

A declining dollar makes oil prices cheaper because most trade is denominated in the greenback, potentially spurring demand.

Still, the glut in world oil markets is unlikely to abate soon, with a Reuters survey showing U.S. crude stocks likely rose by 3.9 million barrels in the week ended Feb. 5.

Industry group American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday releases its weekly inventory reports followed by official numbers from the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration on Wednesday.

There is also little sign of any coordination among big producers outside the United States after weekend talks between OPEC members Saudi Arabia and Venezuela on possible coordination yielded little.

That dims prospects of any initiative on curbing supply to boost prices including producers like Russia, analysts say.

"Hopes of a coordinated supply cut from OPEC and non-OPEC members continue to fade," ANZ said in a research note on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Joseph Radford)

Also Read

First Published: Feb 09 2016 | 6:49 AM IST

Next Story