SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - Oil headed for a punishing weekly loss on increasing evidence that a global economic slowdown is spurring demand destruction, with prices sliding to their lowest level in six months.
West Texas Intermediate crude fell towards US$89 a barrel in Asia, with the US benchmark down more than 10 per cent this week. Official data showed that US petrol consumption has softened, while crude stockpiles rose. The slump came even as Saudi Arabia boosted prices and Opec+ warned of scant spare capacity.
After surging in the first five months of the year, crude's rally has been thrown into reverse, with losses deepening this month after falls in June and July. The sell-off, which has wiped out gains triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will ease the inflationary pressures coursing through the global economy that have spurred central banks, including the United States Federal Reserve, to hike rates.
The shift to much tighter monetary policy has stoked concern among investors that growth will slow in leading economies, imperilling the outlook for energy consumption. The Bank of England warned on Thursday (Aug 5) that Britain is heading for more than a year of recession as it raised borrowing costs.
This week's slump has come as Libya brought crude production back online after a period of upheaval, potentially enabling the Opec member's exports to stabilise at more than one million barrels a day and easing market tightness.
On Wednesday, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia agreed to a minuscule rise in collective supply for September, while warning that its spare capacity was extremely limited. Saudi Arabia, the group's de facto leader, raised oil prices for buyers in Asia to a record.
While oil markets remain in backwardation, a bullish pricing pattern, widely watched differentials have narrowed sharply, signalling an easing of tightness. Brent crude's prompt spread - the gap between its two nearest contracts - was US$1.67 a barrel in backwardation, down from US$6.04 a barrel a week ago.
