Oil gained on signs of better-than-expected U.S. economic growth and the potential for greater energy demand from China.
West Texas Intermediate traded near US$81 a barrel, paring some earlier gains. Global benchmark Brent also advanced.
The U.S. economy expanded by more than forecast in the fourth quarter, figures released Thursday showed, easing recession fears and buoying markets. Meanwhile, a gauge of the dollar slipped to the lowest since April, making commodities priced in the currency cheaper for overseas buyers.
Oil has recovered from a steep drop at the start of the year, largely on hopes that Chinese consumption will pick up after years of lockdowns. The number of virus-related deaths and severe cases at hospitals in China is now 70 per cent lower than peak levels in early January, authorities said late Wednesday.
Energy demand is starting to pick up and the momentum will continue this year, Trafigura Chief Economist Saad Rahim said during a webinar. The rebound in Chinese tourism will have a big impact on consumption, he added, noting that the recovery takes place against a “backdrop of structural underinvesment” in supply.
Liquidity is also returning to the futures market, with open interest in global benchmark Brent near the highest since last February.
Prices:
WTI for March delivery rose 1.3 per cent to US$81.20 a barrel by 10:03 a.m. in New York.
Brent for March settlement increased 1.1 per cent to US$87.09 a barrel.
U.S. crude inventories rose for a fifth week to the highest level since June 2021, the Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday. Still, the gain of 533,000 barrels was smaller than some market participants expected.
Russian oil products will be subject to a European Union ban on seaborne imports and a Group of Seven-led price cap on the fuels in less than two weeks, with concern it may be more disruptive to markets than recent sanctions on Russian crude. Russian shipments of diesel-type fuel from the Baltic port of Primorsk are already on course to slow.
Meanwhile, French strikes are hampering deliveries of fuels such as diesel and gasoline as labor action hits the refining industry for the second time this month.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
OTTAWA – Canada’s national unemployment rate was 6.6 per cent in August. Here are the jobless rates last month by province (numbers from the previous month in brackets):
_ Newfoundland and Labrador 10.4 per cent (9.6)
_ Prince Edward Island 8.2 per cent (8.9)
_ Nova Scotia 6.7 per cent (7.0)
_ New Brunswick 6.5 per cent (7.2)
_ Quebec 5.7 per cent (5.7)
_ Ontario 7.1 per cent (6.7)
_ Manitoba 5.8 per cent (5.7)
_ Saskatchewan 5.4 per cent (5.4)
_ Alberta 7.7 per cent (7.1)
_ British Columbia 5.8 per cent (5.5)
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
