Oil Prices Set for Best Week in Two Months on Demand Outlook

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(Reuters) – Oil prices were stable on Friday and on course for their best week in more than two months after solid projections for crude oil and fuel demand.

Brent crude futures were down 19 cents, or 0.23%, at $82.56 a barrel by 1003 GMT. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) U.S. crude futures lost 32 cents, or 0.41%, to $78.30.

Brent and the U.S. benchmark had gained nearly 4% over the week.

Price support came from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) this week after it stuck to a forecast for relatively strong growth in global oil demand for 2024 while Goldman Sachs projected solid U.S. fuel demand this summer.

The International Energy Agency, meanwhile, expects oil demand to peak by 2029, levelling off around 106 million barrels per day (bpd) towards the end of the decade, it said in a report on Wednesday.

However, this week’s price rally cooled somewhat after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold, with the start of rate cuts unlikely before December.

“In view of the still uncertain economic outlook for the major economic regions, a further price increase is not to be expected for the time being,” said Commerzbank analyst Barbara Lambrecht.

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Elsewhere, Russia pledged to meet its output obligations under the pact among the OPEC+ group of producers after saying it exceeded its quota in May.

“No matter how many times it promises to make up for poor compliance at a future date, the market just sees more oil and an agreement that might just possibly unravel,” said PVM analyst John Evans.

Market focus is also on Gaza ceasefire talks, which could alleviate concerns about potential disruption to oil supply from the region.

That’s a rise on 2022 and close to a record high.00:0704:43

The U.S. is very concerned that hostilities on the Israel-Lebanon border could escalate, a senior U.S. official said, adding that specific security arrangements are needed for the area and a ceasefire in Gaza is not enough.

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