Investing.com -- Crude futures surged by more than 9% on Friday to bounce from near 12-year lows, as speculative traders departed from their bearish positions amid market-moving comments from the head of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company that global oil prices may have hit a bottom.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, WTI crude for March delivery traded in a broad range between $29.54 and $31.83 a barrel, before settling at $32.06, up 2.53 or 8.58% on the session. With the sharp gains, U.S. crude futures posted their strongest one-day performance in nearly five months. The front month contract for WTI crude could be poised to replicate a bounce that followed the August flash crash when Texas light, sweet futures rallied by 25% over a span of three sessions.
On the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), brent crude for March delivery wavered between $29.29 and $31.75 a barrel, before closing at $32.05, up 2.80 or 9.57% on the day. Over the past two trading days, North Sea brent crude futures have soared approximately 15% erasing all their losses from the previous five sessions. Meanwhile, the U.S. and international benchmarks nearly closed at parity, one day after WTI traded at a 0.15 premium at Thursday's close.
Investors continued to digest comments from Khalid al-Falih on the increasing likelihood of further spikes in crude prices before OPEC convenes next at its semi-annual meeting in June. Speaking exclusively with the Financial Times, Falih vented frustrations regarding current market rates – calling prices at $30 a barrel "irrational." Squeezed by persistently low oil prices, Saudi Arabia announced in late-December that it incurred a $98 billion budget deficit in 2015. This year, the kingdom forecasts a third consecutive shortfall with deficits amounting to a projected $87 billion.
"The market has overshot on the low side and it is inevitable that it will start turning up," Falih said.
The Aramco did not address whether the world's top exporter will slash record-high production in the coming months. Oil prices have slumped by approximately 75% over the last 19 months, amid a glut of oversupply.
Elsewhere a flurry of activity in futures markets shows that energy traders have been piling into $50 December call options, lending support to arguments that crude prices may have hit a bottom. A session earlier, both benchmarks closed up by more than $1 a barrel amid heavy short covering as equity markets rallied throughout the world. For the week ending on January 12, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said bearish positions in WTI crude rose by 15% from the previous week resulting in the highest level in net short positions over the last decade.
Oil services firm Baker Hughes said in its weekly rig count report that U.S. oil rigs fell by five to 510 for the week ending on January 15. The rig count dipped for the fifth consecutive week, even as U.S. crude production last week surged above 9.2 million barrels per day. Energy traders also closely monitored weather forecasts, ahead of a massive winter storm headed up the East Coast. The resulting cold wave bolstered demand for heating oil across the U.S. and Europe.
The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the strength of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, surged more than 0.35% to an intraday high of 99.54. The dollar remains near a 12-month higher from December, when the index eclipsed 100.00.
Dollar-denominated commodities such as crude become more expensive for foreign purchasers when the dollar appreciates.