SINGAPORE- Oil prices were mostly stable on Thursday as the markets await US crude oil stockpiles data, though resilient US economic activity pointed to borrowing costs staying higher for longer in a potential blow to demand.
Brent futures dipped 4 cents or 0.05 percent to $83.56 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude eased 10 cents or 0.13 percent to $79.13.
“The broader risk-off environment has translated to some downward pressures on oil prices, which overrides the larger-than-expected drawdown in US crude inventories from the recent API data,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.
US crude oil and gasoline inventories fell last week while distillates rose, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Wednesday.
The API figures showed crude stocks were down by 6.49 million barrels in the week ended May 24, the sources said, with gasoline inventories down by 452,000 barrels, and distillates up by 2.045 million barrels.
Analysts had projected US energy firms would pull 1.9 million barrels of crude out of storage while stocking 0.4 million barrels of distillates and 1 million barrels of gasoline.
Data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due later on Thursday.
Rising global oil inventories through April due to soft fuel demand may strengthen the case for OPEC+ producers, which include the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, to keep supply cuts in place when they meet on June 2, OPEC+ delegates and analysts say.
