Oil falls as economic worries offset the prospect of tight supplies

SINGAPORE, May 15 (Reuters) – Oil prices fell on Monday to offset concerns about fuel demand from international oil consumers the United States and China, tightening supplies from OPEC+ cuts and expectations that the U.S. will resume buying for reserves.

Brent crude was down 62 cents, or 0.84%, at $73.55 a barrel by 0348 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.48 a barrel, down 56 cents, or 0.8%.

Last week, both benchmarks fell for a fourth week in a row, the longest streak of weekly declines since September 2022, amid concerns that the U.S. could enter recession at “significant risk” of a historic default within two weeks of June.

Investors sought safe havens like the US dollar, strengthening the currency and making dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies.

“Oil prices are still under pressure from a sluggish demand outlook as China’s economic reopening progress appears flat,” said CMC market analyst Tina Deng, adding that the US bank failure has also rattled the market.

Investors will look to China’s economic data on industrial production, fixed asset investment and retail sales in the coming week for signs of an improvement in oil demand, he said.

“With an uneven reopening in China and an ex-date for the debt ceiling fast approaching, concerns that the U.S. is facing a growth slowdown are being topped by a rally in the U.S. dollar and market sentiment on crude oil remains muted at best,” said IG analyst Tony Sycamore.

However, global crude supply could tighten in the second half as the OPEC+ group, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and its allies, including Russia, make further production cuts.

The group announced in April that some members would cut production by about 1.16 million barrels a day, according to Reuters calculations.

However, Iraq does not expect OPEC+ to further cut oil production at its next meeting in June, its oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani said.

The U.S. may resume buying oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) after ending sales mandated by Congress in June, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told lawmakers Thursday.

The announcement was followed by a weekly report by energy services firm Baker Hughes Co ( BKR.O ) that showed U.S. oil rigs fell by two this week to 586, the lowest since June 2022, while gas rigs fell 16 to 141.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations may announce new measures at their May 19-21 meetings, aimed at evading sanctions involving third countries, officials with direct knowledge of the discussions said.

Tightening sanctions would undermine Russia’s future energy production and restrict trade that supports the Russian military, the people said.

The world’s No. 1 in crude oil imports. India and China, the No. 3 and No. 1 countries, have been the main buyers of Russian crude since December when the European Union imposed a ban.

Statement by Florence Tan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

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