Oil hovers at 8-month lows as US recession fears offset Middle East tensions

Oil prices hovered at eight-month lows on Monday as fears of a recession in the US, the world’s top oil consumer, offset concerns that escalating tensions in the Middle East may affect supplies from the largest producing region.

Brent crude futures inched down 4 cents, or 0.1 per cent, to $76.77 a barrel by 0035 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $73.39 a barrel, down 13 cents, or 0.2 per cent.

Prices were supported by persistent fighting in Gaza.

Israel and the US are bracing for a serious escalation in the region.

“If this conflict intensifies, crude exports could be impacted,” ANZ analysts said in a note.

Despite worries about escalating tensions in the Middle East, Brent and WTI tumbled more than 3 per cent to settle at their lowest since January on Friday in a volatile week. Last week, both contracts marked their fourth straight week of losses, their biggest losing streaks since November.

OPEC+ oil production

Oil prices were dragged down by US recession fears and after OPEC+, an alliance between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers such as Russia, stuck to its plan to phase out voluntary production cuts from October.

The market had been expecting OPEC+ to delay the phase out of voluntary production cuts beyond the third quarter, ANZ analysts said.

A Reuters survey showed on Friday that OPEC oil output rose in July despite production cuts by the group.

In the US, the number of operating oil rigs were steady at 482 last week, Baker Hughes said in a weekly report.

Weak economic data across the globe weighed on oil prices, on concerns that a sluggish global economic recovery would dampen fuel consumption.

Data released last week showed that the US economy added fewer jobs than expected last month while factories across the US, China and Europe grappled with tepid demand.

Read: Middle East tensions: US State Secretary Antony Blinken dials GCC counterparts