💎 Fed’s first rate cut since 2020 set to trigger market. Find undervalued gems with Fair ValueSee Undervalued Stocks

UPDATE 10-Brent crude rises above $118 on spread buying

Published 07/22/2011, 04:51 PM
BARC
-
GC
-
LCO
-
SMT
-

* Optimism over Greek bailout helps Brent

* Uncertainty over US budget crisis caps WTI gains

* Coming up: API weekly oil data, 4:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday (Updates trading volumes, paragraph 8)

By Edward McAllister and Gene Ramos

NEW YORK, July 22 (Reuters) - Brent crude oil jumped 1 percent to top $118 in light trade on Friday, buoyed by Europe's latest agreement to bail out Greece and by spread buying which widened the gap between London and U.S. crude.

U.S. products, including heating oil and gasoline, rose alongside Brent, helping push U.S. crude to six-week highs, though gains were tempered by uncertainty over talks to avert an unprecedented U.S. default.

The spread buying was a reversal from the selling seen late the previous session, when Brent fell after an aggressive sell off in gasoline and spreads fed by U.S. demand concerns, market players said.

"A lot of what we are seeing today is spread related. From the WTI perspective you will see that Brent and U.S. products are strong and that is pulling U.S. crude up," said Tim Evans, analyst, Citi Futures Perspective, New York

The Brent futures contract for September rose $1.16 to settle at $118.67 a barrel. U.S. crude rose for a fourth straight session, settling up 74 cents at $99.87 a barrel, its highest close in six weeks.

As during Thursday's session, oil briefly rose above $100 but failed to retain those gains.

For the week, U.S. crude futures rose $2.63, a fourth straight week of gains, while Brent rose $1.14, rebounding from the previous week's losses.

Trading volumes were thin. At 4.38 p.m. EDT, U.S. crude traded contracts were 37 percent below the 30-day average, while Brent volume was down 57 percent from the 30-day average.

With markets watching the debt ceiling debates, President Barack Obama said any deficit-cutting deal must be crafted to avoid denting economic growth, warning another recession would be "the worst thing" for U.S. fiscal health. [ID:nWNA4439]

"The U.S. debt ceiling crisis hasn't been solved and there has been mixed economic data, so that might not be enough to keep crude above $100," said Gene McGillian, analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

Analysts and traders said the preliminary solution to the euro zone debt crisis presented in Brussels on Thursday was still providing some support for Brent.

The oil market shrugged off weakness on Wall Street and a stronger dollar which can pressure curde prices.

The Dow fell on Friday after poor results from Caterpiller and Microsoft, while the euro slipped against the dollar as investors focused on how the second rescue package for Greece and measures to stop the European debt crisis from spreading will be implemented. [.N] [USD/]

(Additional reporting by Claire Milhench and Francis Kan in London; Editing by David Gregorio)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.