Oil rises over weaker dollar, French strike

Unexpected fall in crude inventories provides support

LONDON:

Oil rose on Thursday after a two-day decline as a weaker US dollar, strike-disrupted fuel supply in France and a drop in US crude inventories offset fears over the economic impact of rising interest rates.

TotalEnergies was unable to make deliveries from its French refineries on Thursday due to continued strike action a day after data showing an unexpected decline in US crude inventories last week. “The halt in deliveries from TotalEnergies’ French refineries due to the nationwide strikes together with the slight weakness in the dollar might attract some shorts to cover part of their positions,” Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM told Reuters.

“After the Fed chair warning of higher interest rates, however, any attempt to push oil prices higher is likely to be capped.”

Brent crude rose by 64 cents, or 0.8%, to $83.30 a barrel by 1520 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude added 85 cents, or 1.1%, to $77.51. Both benchmarks fell by between 4% and 5% over the previous two days.

Offering some support, the dollar dipped on Thursday after data showed that US jobless claims rose more than expected last week, raising hopes that a softening labour market will reduce the likelihood of the Federal Reserve reaccelerating the pace of its rate hikes.

A weaker dollar makes oil cheaper for buyers holding other currencies and tends to support risk appetite among investors. Earlier in the week, US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments on the likelihood that interest rates will need to be raised more than previously expected in response to recent strong data had pushed prices lower.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2023.

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