Oil slips as consumers aim to release record crude volumes

Singapore — Oil prices slid more than $2 a barrel on Monday, following a second consecutive weekly decline after world consumers announced plans to release a record volume of crude and oil products from strategic stocks and as China lockdowns continue.

Brent crude was down $2.32, or 2.3%, at $100.46 a barrel by 6.27am, while US West Texas Intermediate crude lost $2.37, or 2.4%, to $95.89. Last week, Brent dropped 1.5% while US oil slid 1%. For several weeks, the benchmarks have been at their most volatile since June 2020.

The market has been watching developments in China, where authorities have kept Shanghai, a city of 26-million people, locked down under its “zero tolerance” policy for Covid-19. China is the world’s biggest oil importer.

Concerns about China’s growth was the main reason for the fall in oil prices on Monday with Shanghai’s lockdown showing no signs of being lifted and Guangzhou looking to start mass virus testing, said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda.

“Fears are rising now that if China’s Omicron wave spreads to other cities, its zero-Covid-19 policy will see mass extended lockdowns that negatively affect industrial output and domestic consumption,” he added.

Member nations of the International Energy Agency (IEA) will release 60-million barrels over the next six months, with the US matching that amount as part of its 180-million barrel release announced in March. The moves are aimed at offsetting a shortfall in Russian crude after Moscow was hit with heavy sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.

“We expect these Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) volumes — about 273-million barrels in total and 1.3-million barrels per day (mbd) over the next six months — to go a long way in the short term towards offsetting the 1 mbd of Russian oil supply we expect to remain permanently offline,” said JPMorgan analysts in a note.

It is unclear whether that will fully offset the shortfall in Russian oil as exports continued, with India, lured by steep discounts, increasing imports.

On Monday, President Joe Biden will meet virtually with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the White House said, while the US has made it clear it does not want to see an uptick in Russian energy imports by India.

In the US, energy firms last week added oil and natural gas rigs for a third consecutive week as Washington seeks more production to help its allies wean themselves off Russian oil and gas.

Reuters