(Bloomberg) -- Oil rose above $73 a barrel after an industry report pointed to another decline in U.S. crude stockpiles, adding to a bullish outlook.
Futures in New York climbed 0.6% after edging lower on Tuesday. The American Petroleum Institute reported crude inventories slid by 7.2 million barrels last week, according to people familiar with the data. If confirmed by government figures due later Wednesday, that would be a fifth straight weekly draw, the longest run of declines since January.
Key consumers including the U.S. and China have seen a strong rebound from Covid-19, boosting fuel demand and helping to drain bloated inventories built up during the pandemic. OPEC+ is scheduled to meet next week to discuss its production policy and some nations, most notably Russia, are considering a potential output increase. A possible gain in crude flows from Iran is set to be delayed, with Tehran signaling nuclear talks may extend beyond August.
The recovery in gasoline demand across Asia remains patchy, meanwhile, offering a complex picture as improvements in nations such as India and Thailand are partially offset by deteriorations elsewhere.
“Prices are comfortably placed where they’re now with the supply tightness and healthy demand recovery, joined by a delayed Iranian nuke deal,” said Will Sungchil Yun, senior commodities analyst at VI Investment Corp in Seoul. “All eyes are now on the OPEC+ meeting next week.”
The prompt timespread for Brent was 76 cents a barrel in backwardation -- where near-dated contracted are more expensive than later-dated ones. The bullish structure eased from 85 cents on Monday.
Stockpiles at the key U.S. storage hub of Cushing fell last week, while fuel inventories including gasoline rose, the API said. The Energy Information Administration is forecast to report on Wednesday that nationwide crude stockpiles slid by 3.5 million barrels, according to a Bloomberg survey.