Crude rises 1% as US threatens sanctions against Venezuela after political turmoil; global oil markets still well-supplied

Sydney/Singapore: Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Friday as turmoil in Venezuela triggered concerns that its crude exports could soon be disrupted. Washington on Thursday signalled it could impose sanctions on Venezuela’s oil exports as Caracas descends further into political and economic turmoil. International Brent crude oil futures were at $61.80 a barrel, 71 cents, or 1.2 percent, above their last close. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $53.82 per barrel, up 69 cents, or 1.3 percent. [caption id=“attachment_2008941” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] Amid violent street protests, Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president earlier this week, winning backing from Washington and large parts of Latin America, prompting Nicolas Maduro, the country’s leader since 2013, to break relations with the United States. “The oil market is partially pricing in the risk to Venezuela’s crude production, which has been plummeting in recent years and currently languishes just above 1 million barrels per day,” Vandana Hari of Vanda Insights said in a note on Friday. Fundamentally, however, global oil markets are still well-supplied, thanks in part to surging output in the United States, where crude production rose by more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd) last year to a record 11.9 million bpd. Record US production would likely offset any short-term disruptions to Venezuelan supply due to possible US sanctions, Britain’s Barclays on Thursday said in a note. The bank cut its 2019 average Brent crude oil forecast to $70 a barrel, down from $72 previously. The surge in US output has resulted in swelling US fuel inventories. Gasoline stocks climbed for an eighth consecutive week in the week to 18 January, by 4.1 million barrels to a record 259.6 million barrels, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a weekly report on Thursday. Crude inventories rose by 8 million barrels. The high supplies come as demand may also start to stutter amid a global economic slowdown which is likely to dent fuel consumption. An escalating trade dispute between the United States and China and tightening financial conditions around the world have hurt manufacturing activity in most economies and dragged China’s growth last year to the weakest in 28 years. In a Reuters poll of more than 500 economists taken this month, growth this year was cut for 33 of 46 economies the respondents were asked about.     To keep watching India’s No. 1 English Business News Channel – CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News – CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day.