Oil prices rise, head for weekly gains on M.East tensions

Oil prices rose in Asian trade on Friday and were headed for a positive week as persistent concerns over a worsening Middle East conflict kept a risk premium largely in play. 

Israel vowed to attack Iran over an early-October strike, which kept traders on edge over an escalation in the conflict that could potentially disrupt supplies from the Middle East.

Focus was also on U.S. attempts to broker a ceasefire, which so far appeared to have yielded few results.

Brent oil futures expiring in December rose 0.4% to $74.70 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate Crude futures rose 0.5% to $70.55 a barrel by 21:04 ET (01:04 GMT).  Oil set for weekly gains

Brent and WTI futures were trading up between 1% and 2% this week, recovering some measure of steep losses logged earlier in October. 

A bigger recovery in crude was held back by data showing a bigger-than-expected build in U.S. inventories , indicating less tight supplies in the world’s biggest fuel consumer. 

A strong dollar also weighed on crude as continued concerns over a slower pace of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve kept traders biased towards the greenback. 

Oil prices were trading off weekly highs as speculation over the Middle East conflict sparked some volatility in markets. While Israel presented a harsh rhetoric against Iran this week, U.S. officials kept up their efforts to broker a ceasefire, especially before the 2024 presidential elections, which could alter future U.S. policy in the Middle East.  China stimulus in focus 

Recent weakness in oil markets was driven chiefly by concerns over slowing demand in top importer China, as a swathe of stimulus measures from the country spurred limited optimism.

Traders were underwhelmed by a lack of details from Beijing on the timing and scale of its planned measures, especially on the fiscal front. 

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress is now set to meet in November, where policymakers are likely to decide on plans for more fiscal spending. The committee was initially expected to meet in late October, but was delayed. 

Source: Investing.com