MELBOURNE- Oil prices rose again on Wednesday as the dollar slipped, with risk appetite returning as some governments resist imposing lockdowns to curb the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant and as China said it would be able to sustain economic growth.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 50 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $71.62 a barrel after jumping 3.7 percent on Tuesday.
Brent crude futures rose 44 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $74.42 a barrel after gaining 3.4 percent on Tuesday.
Oil prices typically move inversely to the US dollar, with a weaker greenback making commodities cheaper for those holding other currencies.
Meanwhile a senior Chinese state planning official said on Wednesday Beijing would work to aid economic growth, including stepping up government spending, strengthening support to manufacturers and stabilizing industry supply chains.
The country, the world’s biggest oil importer, would “strive to stabilize economic operations in the first quarter, the first half and even the whole year,” the official told Xinhua News Agency.
Meanwhile, some governments are trying to hold off imposing new pandemic curbs to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, including in Britain and Australia, which should help support fuel demand.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not introduce new COVID-19 restrictions before Christmas, but said the government may need to take steps afterwards.
Meanwhile, a few cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) have recently been diverted from Asia to head west drawn by Europe’s record high prices amid supply concerns ahead of peak winter demand, industry sources said.
European and British benchmark wholesale gas prices soared to record highs on Tuesday as Russian gas shipments to Germany through a major transit pipeline reversed direction and colder weather boosted demand. – Reuters
