Oil: an overview of the market situation

Oil prices declined moderately today , dropping below $ 112 per barrel (Brent) and $ 100 per barrel (WTI), the early signals about the fact that the supply of oil from Libya, possibly starting to recover . As it became known ,

Also on the bidding continue to affect the data on stocks . Recall that U.S. crude stocks fell the week before the fourth week in a row - by 4.73 million barrels to 367.6 million barrels. Analysts had expected a decline in reserves of 2.65 million barrels. Gasoline inventories fell by 614 thousand barrels and distillates - by 1.85 million barrels.

"Restoring the U.S. economy supports expectations of growth in demand for oil , - the head Petromatrix GmbH Olivier Jacob . - Distillate inventories by the end of 2013 have become minimal for many years, and it could mean a very low level of stocks in the spring ."

Meanwhile , we note that investors paid attention to analysts' estimates , according to which the price of Brent crude oil in the future will decrease the second year in a row on the background of significant growth in demand in the market . According to analysts Bloomberg, in 2014 the average price of Brent crude fell to $ 105 from 108.7 dollars in 2013.

The price of WTI crude oil rose 8.2 percent in December due to falling stocks , helping to reduce the gap c Brent crude to just $ 8.13 per barrel. While the spread between the two brands of oil increased today , is expected to shrink again soon , which will contribute to the launch of the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States . This pipeline will allow growth stocks at Cushing terminal , where the bulk share of refining capacity of the country.

Cost February futures on U.S. light crude oil WTI (Light Sweet Crude Oil) fell to $ 99.64 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

February futures price for North Sea Brent crude oil mixture fell $ 1.07 to $ 111.15 a barrel on the London exchange ICE Futures Europe.