Oil Stabilizes Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

Oil pump jacks are seen at uthe Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas deposit in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Oil pump jacks are seen at uthe Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas deposit in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
TT

Oil Stabilizes Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

Oil pump jacks are seen at uthe Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas deposit in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Oil pump jacks are seen at uthe Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas deposit in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Oil prices held steady on Friday as investors await US inflation data for clues on the demand outlook before turning attention to Sunday's OPEC+ meeting to determine the state of supply into next year.

Brent futures were up 14 cents, or 0.17%, at $82.00 a barrel by 0908 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 4 cents, or 0.05%, at $77.87.

The more liquid August Brent contract was trading at $81.93, up 5 cents from the previous settlement.

Brent futures are on track for a monthly loss of almost 7% after dropping 2% in the previous session on a surprise build in US fuel inventories, Reuters reported.

Higher refinery utilization brought a deeper than expected draw in crude oil stocks in the week to May 24, Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed.

However, gasoline inventories rose by 2 million barrels, against expectations of a 400,000 barrel draw and higher demand ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.

In the euro zone, inflation rose by 2.6% in May, Eurostat data showed, beating the 2.5% expected by economists polled by Reuters.

The increase is unlikely to deter the European Central Bank from cutting borrowing costs next week, but it could slow the rate-cutting cycle in the coming months.

The oil market has been under pressure in recent weeks over the prospect of borrowing costs staying higher for longer, which ties down funds and can curb oil demand.

US inflation data is due to be released at 1230 GMT.​

Markets are also awaiting the OPEC+ meeting on Sunday, with the producer group working on a complex deal that would allow it to extend some of its deep oil production cuts into 2025, three sources familiar with OPEC+ discussions said on Thursday.

"The probable extension of the voluntary production cuts by OPEC+ should cause oil prices to rise again," Commerzbank analysts said. "Ultimately, this would threaten a significant undersupply on the oil market in the third quarter."



Egypt's Inflation Slows in July

A man walks in front of the new headquarters of Central Bank of Egypt, at the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A man walks in front of the new headquarters of Central Bank of Egypt, at the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
TT

Egypt's Inflation Slows in July

A man walks in front of the new headquarters of Central Bank of Egypt, at the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A man walks in front of the new headquarters of Central Bank of Egypt, at the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Egypt's annual urban consumer price inflation slid to 25.7% in July from 27.5% in June, a rate of decline faster than analysts had forecast, the country's statistics agency CAPMAS showed on Thursday.
Month-on-month, prices fell by 0.4% in July, down from 1.6% in June. Food prices declined by 0.3% in July, though they were still 28.5% higher than a year ago.
A poll of 18 analysts had expected inflation to have slowed to a median of 26.6% in July, extending a deceleration that began in September, when inflation reached a peak of 38.0%, Reuters reported.
Egypt has tightened its monetary policy under an $8 billion International Monetary Fund financial support package it signed in March, although that program has also required it to increase many domestic prices and let its currency plunge.
The central bank hiked interest rates by 600 basis points (bps) on March 6, bringing total increases in 2024 to 800 bps.
The government raised the price of some subsidized products to battle a budget deficit that hit 505 billion Egyptian pounds ($10.27 billion) in a 3.016 trillion pound budget in the year that ended on June 30.
On June 1, the government raised the price of subsidized bread by 300% and on July 25 the price of fuel by up to 15%.