Oil prices slide 2 percent more, U.S. crude below $50

By Devika Krishna Kumar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slid 2 percent on Thursday, extending the previous session's dive that brought prices to the lowest levels this year, as record U.S. crude inventories fed doubts about whether OPEC-led supply cuts would reduce a global glut.

U.S. crude prices fell through the $50 a barrel support level, with market participants unwinding a massive number of bullish wagers they had amassed after a deal by top global oil producers to limit output.

On Wednesday, crude tumbled more than 5 percent, its steepest dive in a year, after data showed crude oil stocks in the United States, the world's top oil consumer, swelled by 8.2 million barrels last week to a record 528.4 million barrels, well above forecasts of a 2 million barrel build. [EIA/S]

"It was one month ago yesterday that the market got hit on a big increase in supply only to (have prices) rebound and start making new highs a few days later," said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

"The problem is this time, after an extended sideways period, a confirmation of a breakdown would suggest that this market will need some major news to get us back on that long term bullish track."

Brent crude fell $1.19 a barrel, or 2.2 percent, to $51.92 by 11:37 a.m. EST (1637 GMT). Its session low of $51.60 was its lowest since Dec. 1. On Wednesday, Brent fell $2.81 a barrel, or 5 percent, in its biggest daily price move this year.

U.S. light crude was down about 2.4 percent to $49.09 a barrel after reaching an intraday low of $48.79. On Wednesday, U.S. crude plummeted 5.4 percent.

"The market went into a meltdown yesterday," said Tamas Varga, analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates. "The risk is now tilted to the downside. Lower numbers are not a foregone conclusion yet, but bears are in control."

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other exporters agreed in November to cut output almost 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of 2017.

But U.S. drilling has picked up, with producers planning to expand crude production in North Dakota, Oklahoma and other shale regions. The Permian, America's largest oilfield, has seen output jump.

This week, Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih said oil market fundamentals were improving but OPEC would not let rival producers take advantage of the cuts.

Kuwait's oil minister has said OPEC's compliance with cuts has exceeded targets.

Kuwait will host a meeting on March 26 of OPEC and non-OPEC ministers to review compliance with the production cuts.

OPEC hopes it can persuade other oil producers to make deeper cuts to try to push up prices that have been slumping for more than two years. So far the group has been tight-lipped about whether an extension was on the horizon.

(Additional reporting by Christopher Johnson in London, Jane Chung in Seoul; Editing by David Gregorio and Susan Thomas)