Oil Plunges 5% As Coronavirus Cases Surge, U.S. Crude Stockpiles Swell

NEW YORK: Oil prices dropped 5% to a three-week low on Wednesday as surging coronavirus infections in the United States and Europe is leading to renewed lockdowns, fanning fears that the unsteady economic recovery will deteriorate.

Brent futures fell $2.07, or 5.0%, to $39.13 a barrel by 10:13 a.m. EDT (1413 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $2.27, or 5.7%, to $37.30.

That was the lowest for Brent since Oct. 2 and the lowest for WTI since Oct. 5.

The United States, Russia, France and other countries have registered record numbers of COVID-19 cases in recent days and European governments have introduced new curbs to try to rein in the fast-growing outbreaks.

“Crude oil is under pressure from the increase in COVID-19 cases, especially in Europe, and a larger than expected API storage build,” said Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York.

U.S. oil and gasoline stocks rose last week, industry data from the American Petroleum Institute showed, with crude inventories rising by 4.6 million barrels, well above analyst expectations of a 1.2 million barrel build in a Reuters poll.

(Additional reporting by Noah Browning in London and Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Goodman)

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Speak Your Mind

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Get in Touch

350FansLike
100FollowersFollow
281FollowersFollow
150FollowersFollow

Recommend for You

Oh hi there 👋
It’s nice to meet you.

Subscribe and receive our weekly newsletter packed with awesome articles that really matters to you!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

You might also like

Covid-19: Nestle Says Consumer Behaviour Changing, Essentials ‘Taking Precedence’...

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a major shift in consumption patterns among consumers as...

The Ultimate Guide To Starting A Side Hustle Part...

If you are starting a side hustle, chances are you are managing a lot...

Virgin Galactic cuts short spaceflight attempt after apparent abort

Virgin Galactic's carrier aircraft releases its spacecraft Unity during a glide flight test.Virgin GalacticVirgin...

Phoenix Suns Forward Mikal Bridges Stands To Gain As...

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 04: Mikal Bridges #25 of...