Oil Prices Edge Up as Russia Fuel Export Ban Stokes Supply Fears

LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) – Oil prices rose on Friday as renewed global supply concerns from Russia’s fuel export ban counteracted demand fears driven by macroeconomic headwinds and high interest rates.

Brent futures were up 52 cents, or 0.56%, at $93.82 a barrel by 0933 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) futures rose by 73 cents, or 0.81%, to $90.36 a barrel.

Both benchmarks were on track for a small weekly drop after gaining more than 10% in the previous three weeks amid concerns about tight global supply as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) maintain production cuts.

“Trading remained choppy amid a tug-of-war between supply fears that were reinforced by a Russian ban on fuel exports and worries over slower demand due to tighter monetary policies in the United States and Europe,” said Toshitaka Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi Securities Co Ltd.

Russia’s Transneft suspended deliveries of diesel to the key Baltic and Black Sea terminals of Primorsk and Novorossiysk on Friday, state media agency Tass said.

Russia temporarily banned exports of gasoline and diesel to all countries outside a circle of four ex-Soviet states with immediate effect to stabilise the domestic fuel market, the government said on Thursday.

But macroeconomic headwinds continue to weigh on oil demand sentiment.

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“It is signals on the demand side that are mainly likely to affect oil prices in the short term,” Commerzbank analysts said in a note.

The euro zone economy is likely to contract in the third quarter, according to Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data released on Friday.

A contraction in UK economic activity deepened further in September compared to August, additional PMI data showed.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday maintained interest rates, but stiffened its hawkish stance, buoying fears that higher rates could dampen economic growth.

HSBC on Friday raised its Brent price forecast to $90 a barrel for the fourth quarter and $82.50 for 2024 due to record Chinese demand and a prediction that Saudi Arabia’s voluntary production cuts will stay in place until the second quarter of 2024.

Reporting by Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo and Emily Chow in Singapore; Editing by Michael Perry, Stephen Coates, Tom Hogue and Jan Harvey