SINGAPORE- Oil fell in Asian trade on Wednesday morning, paring two straight days of gains after an industry report showed US crude inventories rose unexpectedly last week in a sign fuel demand may be weakening.
Brent futures, which have risen more than 3 percent this week, were down 37 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $74.95 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 39 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $69.28.
Data from the American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday showed US crude inventories rose by about 3.3 million barrels in the week ended March 17, sources said.
That defied expectations for a drawdown of about 1.6 million barrels from eight analysts polled by Reuters.
Traders and analysts will be looking out for data from the US Energy Information Administration on Wednesday to see whether it confirms signs of weaker crude demand.
At the same time, markets are awaiting the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s meeting on Wednesday, in what is widely seen as the most challenging Fed policy decision in recent times.
Following the meeting, Chair Jerome Powell is expected to unveil new economic projections and the central bank’s path for interest rate hikes.
While the market expects the Fed to raise rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, some top central bank watchers say it could well pause further rate hikes or delay releasing new economic projections due to ructions in the global banking sector. – Reuters
