LONDON: Oil prices rose on Wednesday as news about COVID-19 vaccines lifted investor hopes for a recovery in fuel demand and outweighed concerns sparked by figures indicating U.S. oil inventories jumped last week.
Brent crude rose 27 cents, or 0.6%, to $49.11 a barrel by 1218 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1> climbed 22 cents, up 0.5%, to $45.82.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) said on Tuesday that U.S. crude oil, gasoline and distillate stocks rose sharply last week, with crude stocks jumping by 1.14 million barrels against analyst forecasts for a draw of 1.42 million barrels.
Official weekly oil data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due later on Wednesday.
“Although vaccine roll outs have already begun in some countries, their impact will not be felt for a while yet,” Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM said.
Britain began mass vaccinations on Tuesday. Expectations that others will soon follow helped offset fears about a sharp rise in coronavirus cases globally that has led to new restrictions on movements around the world.
The vaccine news helped offset some fears from a sharp rise in coronavirus cases globally that has led to a string of renewed lockdowns, including strict measures in California, Germany and South Korea.
“The worsening COVID situation, in particular in Europe, is weighing on prices,” research firm JBC Energy said.
Hedge fund managers were substantial buyers of petroleum futures and options last week for a fourth week in a row, a sign of increasing confidence that coronavirus vaccines will drive a recovery in oil consumption next year.
On the supply front, the EIA said U.S. crude oil production was expected to slide next year by 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 11.10 million bpd, a smaller decline than its previous forecast for a slide of 290,000 bpd.
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