Oil prices slip from two-month high

New York — Oil prices fell on Friday, pulling back from two-month highs as concern over US-China trade talks overshadowed expectations of an extension to Opec+ production cuts.

Brent crude futures eased 52 US cents to $63.44 a barrel by 4.49am GMT), after hitting a high of $64.27, while West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell 69c to $57.89, dropping from its session high of $58.74.

After paring their gains, both benchmarks were on track to be little changed in the week.

“The US-China situation isn’t looking very positive, so that took some of the steam out of the rally you had this week,” said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital Management in New York.

Uncertainty over whether the US and China will be able to reach a partial trade deal that would lift some pressure on the global economy kept a lid on prices.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that his country wanted to work out an initial trade pact with the US and had been trying to avoid a trade war, but was not afraid to retaliate when necessary.

China has invited top US trade negotiators for a new round of face-to-face talks in Beijing as efforts continue to strike at least a limited deal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing unidentified sources.

“The key factor for the demand outlook for oil is the trade negotiation,” said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets and Stockbroking in Sydney.

“With oil near the top of recent trading ranges, it’s no surprise to see a bit of selling pressure.”

Prices rallied to their highest since late September on Thursday after Reuters reported that Opec and Russia were likely to extend existing production cuts by another three months to mid-2020, when they meet from December 5-6.

The group will also emphasise the need for stricter deal compliance from the likes of Iraq and Nigeria.

“A disciplined approach from Iraq and Nigeria should shave off another 300,000-400,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the group’s production level leading to a balanced market in the first half of 2020 and to a possible supply deficit in the second half,” said oil brokerage PVM.

The current agreement is for a production cut of 1.2-million bpd until the end of March.

News of the biggest drawdown for three months in US crude stock stockpiles at Cushing, Oklahoma, also underpinned prices this week. Cushing is the delivery point for WTI futures.

Reuters