Sharjah24 – Reuters: Oil prices extended gains on Thursday, riding higher on growing fuel demand and a bigger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories as production remains hampered in the Gulf of Mexico after two hurricanes.
Brent crude rose 9 cents, or 0.1%, to $76.28 a barrel at 0856 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 4 cents, or 0.1%, to $72.27 a barrel.
Both contracts jumped 2.5% on Wednesday after data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed U.S. crude stocks in the week to Sept. 17 fell by 3.5 million barrels to 414 million - the lowest total since October 2018.
"With Gulf of Mexico production returning slowly, and natural gas prices remaining sky high, the structural outlook for oil remains promising as OPEC+ struggles to meet even its current production quotas," said Jeffrey Halley, analyst at brokerage OANDA.
Several OPEC+ countries - including Nigeria, Angola and Kazakhstan - have struggled in recent months to raise output due to years of under-investment or maintenance work delayed by the pandemic.
For an optimal experience, please
