Oil rises as supply concerns persist

REUTERS: Oil prices climbed for a third straight session yesterday, shrugging off concerns about global economic growth as impending European Union sanctions on Russian oil raised the prospect of tighter supply.
Brent futures rose US $ 1.75 or 1.58 percent, to US $ 112.65 per barrel by 1159 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed US $ 1.57, or 1.45 percent, to US $ 109.83 a barrel.

Brent and WTI are on track to rise for a second week in a row, buoyed by the EU’s proposal to phase out supplies of Russian crude oil in six months and refined products by the end of 2022. It would also ban all shipping and insurance services for transporting Russian oil.

The EU is tweaking its sanctions plan in a bid to win over reluctant states, three EU sources told Reuters yesterday. 

“The looming EU embargo on Russian oil has the makings of an acute supply squeeze. In any case, OPEC+ is in no mood to help out, even as rallying energy prices spur harmful levels of inflation,” PVM analyst Stephen Brennock said.

Ignoring calls from Western nations to hike output more, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and allied producers, a group known as OPEC+, stuck with its plan to raise its June output target by 432,000 barrels per day.

However, analysts expect the group’s actual production rise to be much smaller as a result of capacity constraints.
“There is zero chance of certain members filling that quota as production challenges impact Nigeria and other African members,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst Asia Pacific at OANDA.

A U.S. Senate panel has advanced a bill that could expose OPEC+ to lawsuits for collusion on boosting oil prices.