Oil jumps 8% on stimulus hopes, spending cuts by US producers

NEW YORK — Oil prices jumped over 8% on Tuesday, bouncing from the biggest rout in nearly 30 years a day earlier, as the possibility of economic stimulus encouraged buying and US producers slashed spending in a move that could cut output.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump pledged “major” steps to gird the US economy against the impact of the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Japan’s government said it planned to spend more than $4 billion in a second package of steps to cope with the virus.

US shale producers, including Occidental Petroleum Corp., deepened spending cuts that could reduce production.

“There was almost an immediate response from US producers to cut spending that will likely result in diminished US oil output in the months ahead,” said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York, noting “The rapidity of that response helped buoy the market after Monday’s collapse.”

Oil plunged about 25% on Monday. It rebounded on Tuesday along with equities and other financial markets.

Brent futures rose $2.86, or 8.3%, to settle at $37.22 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $3.23, or 10.4%, to settle at $34.36.

“The oil price went up today because it went insanely down yesterday, and some bargain hunters are driving things up,” said Bjoernar Tonhaugen, head of oil markets at energy consultant Rystad, noting “It will go down further with some days going up in between.”

Both benchmarks plunged on Monday to their lowest since February 2016, their biggest one-day percentage declines since Jan. 17, 1991, at the outset of the first Gulf War.

Trading volumes in the frontmonth for both contracts were well below the record highs seen on Monday, when volumes soared after Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major oil producers ended three years of cooperation to limit supply and started a price war for market share.

Saudi, the world’s biggest oil exporter, escalated tensions with plans to supply 12.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, well above current production levels of 9.7 million bpd, according to Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser.

“Oil prices have managed to hold on to some gains despite Saudi Arabia’s announcement to open the floodgates in April,” Rystad’s Tonhaugen said, noting “Saudi Arabia is not bluffing and the market will feel it next month.”

With oil erasing over a third of its value this week, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members were bleeding over $500 million a day in lost revenue, according to Reuters calculations.

Russian oil minister Alexander Novak said he did not rule out joint measures with OPEC to stabilize the market, adding that the next OPEC+ meeting was planned for May-June. —