02:55 PM November 11th, 2015
SINGAPORE, Singapore—Oil prices
resumed their decline in Asia Wednesday, with global crude oversupply
continuing to dampen investors’ sentiment despite occasional rallies.
Prices had risen the previous day
after a four-day losing streak, as traders weighed a bearish price outlook from
the International Energy Agency (IEA) and a lowered US estimate for crude
production.
The oil market has collapsed by more
than half since mid-2014 with prices languishing under $50 a barrel, hurt by
the supply glut and the decision by the oil exporter grouping OPEC to maintain
output to counter booming US shale production.
The Paris-based IEA, in a report
Tuesday, forecast that the global oil market would recover to $80 a barrel by
2020.
At around 0300 GMT Wednesday, US
benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in December was trading 47 cents
lower at $43.74 and Brent crude for December was down 26 cents at $47.18.
“We continue to think the market
will remain in surplus through most of 2016, which is likely to restrict the
upside for prices, particularly over the fourth quarter of 2015 and the first
quarter of 2016,” British bank Barclays said in a market commentary.
A strong dollar, fuelled by widening
expectations that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month,
has also been keeping a lid on prices.
Oil is traded in the US currency and
a buoyant dollar would make the commodity more expensive for those holding
weaker units, lowering demand and prices.
“We expect the greenback to continue
to be supported as we approach the likely lift-off in rates,” Singapore’s
United Overseas Bank said, referring to a December 17 meeting of the Fed’s
policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee.
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