NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices pulled back on Monday after touching two-year highs on expectations of improved demand and OPEC producers keeping supply curbs in place.
Brent was up 33 cents, or 0.5%, at $69.79 a barrel by 1333 GMT
Brent rose 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $68.81 a barrel by 11:20 a.m. EDT (1520 GMT), and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 11 cents, or 0.2%, at $66.18 a barrel
Oil demand was already outstripping supply and the shortfall was expected to grow even if Iran boosted exports
Brent futures rose $1.12, or 1.6 per cent, to $69.67 a barrel by 10:44 am EDT (8.14 pm IST), while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.10, or 1.7 per cent, to $66.38
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries expected demand to rise by 5.95 million barrels per day (bpd) this year, or 6.6%, its forecast unchanged from last month.
The deteriorating situation there could pose a problem for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, which have agreed to start adding more supply from May
The total oil demand in India, according to their estimate, had declined to 470,000 b/d in 2020
West Texas Intermediate advanced 1.3 per cent, adding to Monday's modest climb as the dollar weakened, while production in Libya fell below 1 million barrels a day amid a budget dispute
Brent crude was down 4 cents, at $66.73 a barrel by 11:06 AM ET (1506 GMT), after rising 6% last week
West Texas Intermediate slid 0.6%, though remains within the $5 range it has traded in since mid-March
OPEC+ has lowered its 2021 oil demand growth forecast by 300,000 barrels per day reflecting concerns about the market's recovery as new coronavirus lockdowns take hold
OPEC+ has raised concerns that uncertainties may impact the recovery in oil demand due to rising numbers of virus infections globally and lockdown measures
Brent crude slid more than 2 per cent, to $61.64 a barrel at 7.57 pm (IST)
Indian purchases from the U.S. more than doubled in January on-month, government data show. The country's sophisticated refineries can process almost every kind of crude
Futures in New York and London fell as much as 5 per cent, with the prompt spread on both flipping into contango
Oil prices resumed their decline on Monday, falling around 1% as worries about a drop in demand for fuel products in the wake of yet more European lockdowns dominated trading
Oil rose more than 2% in volatile trading on Friday, but finished the week about 7% lower as a new wave of coronavirus infections across Europe dampened hopes that fuel demand would recover soon
Brent crude was up 31 cents, or 0.5 per cent, at $63.59 a barrel by 8:20 pm (IST)
Oil prices plunged 7% for a fifth day in a row on Thursday