Oil rises as China eases strict Covid- 19 containment measures

Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday on hopes of demand recovery in China as the country gradually eases some of its strict Covid- 19 containment measures. Brent crude futures were up 48c, or 0.4percent, at $ 112.41 a barrel at 4.10am GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate ( WTI) crude futures climbed 93c, or 0.8percent, to $ 113.33 a barrel, paring some losses after oil prices fell by about 2percent in the previous session. Shanghai on Tuesday achieved its long- awaited milestone of three consecutive days with no new Covid- 19 cases outside quarantine zones, and on Monday set out plans for ending a lockdown that has lasted more than six weeks. “Beyond the near term, less awful news on China offers a nip in the tail in the form of much higher oil demand and prices, which is positive for producers, but harmful for consumer sentiment,” Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said in a client note. US crude and gasoline stocks fell last week, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute ( API) figures on Tuesday. US government data is due on Wednesday. “Soaring diesel and distillate prices, along with tight crude stocks is supporting WTI, and I believe that situation will limit the downside from here in oil prices over the next few sessions,” Oanda senior analyst Jeffrey Halley said. However, there is still pressure on prices after reports that the US is allowing Chevron to negotiate oil licences with Venezuela’s national producer, temporarily lifting a US ban on such discussions, analysts from ANZ Research said in a client note on Wednesday.