Crude futures settle down by more than $1/bbl on demand fears

HOUSTON – Crude futures fell by more than USD 1 a barrel on Wednesday in see-saw trading, with traders worried about demand in coming months as crude producers offered mixed signals about supply increases.

Brent crude futures settled down USD 1.05, or 1.42%, to USD 72.70 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled down USD 1.14, or 1.62%, at USD 69.20.

During the session, both benchmarks swung from USD 1 down to USD 1 up following news OPEC+ was discussing delaying a possible output increase because Libyan production is expected to rise.

In a broader sell-off, Brent crude futures tumbled as much as 11%, or about USD 9, in a little over a week, hitting a low of USD 72.63 on Wednesday.

Lackluster data from the US and China reinforced expectations of a weaker global economy and oil demand, helping set off a broader decline in world markets.

“It’s definitely worries about a slowdown in manufacturing,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group. “That’s the only negative we’re seeing.”

Meanwhile, traders believed there could be an end in sight to a dispute halting Libyan oil exports, which would bring more crude supply back online.

“This sell-off moved the attention to what OPEC+’s response would be, which last week looked set to start the planned output hikes in October,” wrote Alex Hodes, analyst at StoneX. “The group is now concerned about pricing and sources say that a delay to the hikes is now being discussed.”

Recent data releases fed concerns of weak demand from China, the world’s biggest crude importer, and US consumption taking a hit.

On Saturday, Chinese data showed manufacturing activity sank to a six-month low in August, when growth in new home prices slowed.

On Tuesday in the US, the Institute for Supply Management data showed manufacturing remained subdued.

Weekly US oil inventory data was delayed by Monday’s Labor Day holiday. The report from the American Petroleum Institute is due at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) on Wednesday and data from the US Energy Information Administration will be published at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday.

US crude and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have fallen last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed.

While traders were pessimistic about demand fears, changes in supply could easily change sentiments, Flynn said.

“We could flip on a dime,” he said. “It could very easily turn positive. We could see a pretty decent crude draw later today.”

(Reporting by Erwin Seba, Additional reporting by Paul Carsten, Ahmad Ghaddar in London, Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo, and Jeslyn Lerh in Singapore; Editing by Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, and David Gregorio)