美國宣佈原油供應過剩的情況略有緩和，原油價格便飙升至五個月以來的最高點，交易員們從中賺了不少，而在亞洲時間週四早間，油價開始下跌，並逐漸趨於平穩。
在紐約商品交易所，六月交付的輕質低硫原油期貨上漲了0.08美元，達到每桶43.88美元。在倫敦ICE交易所，六月交付的佈倫特原油上漲了0.07美元，達到每桶45.87美元。
交易員們還在關註美國原油儲存、餾分油庫存以及國内產量時，油價已在一夜之間暴漲。
餾分油包含燃料油和柴油，截至4月15日，其庫存量已跌至360萬桶。這足以平衡額外增加的210萬桶原油庫存，而石油總庫存已跌破12月以來的最低值。
美國能源信息管理局的數據顯示，美國原油產量連續第六週下跌，現已跌至895萬桶。
OM金融公司客戶經理Stuart Ive說：“今早亞洲市場的交易是很正常的，那些交易員都希望從中謀取些好處，但是種種迹象表明，市場正在逐漸恢複平衡。”
近兩年來，持續的供應過剩導致油價不斷下跌，而近兩週熱議的削減石油產量使得交易員變得格外敏感。雖然上週沒有達成凍產協議，但油價仍在不斷攀升。
除了美國減產的因素，交易員們也期望伊拉克、尼日利亞、北海等其他地區的石油供應中斷，從而吸收過剩的石油。
村野證券亞洲石油天然氣部門主管Gordon Kwan說道：“再加上北美、南美以及歐洲的持續減產，全球供應過剩的情況將會有所緩解，並在2017年下半年出現供不應求的情況。”
雖然石油供應在逐漸減少，但需求增長過慢也限制了油價上漲。國際能源署預計2016年全球石油需求將增加到每天120萬桶，這個數字低於去年預測的180萬桶。
OptionsXpress市場分析家Ben Le Brun表示：“我們需要產量降低更多，需求增長更快，這樣才能抑制住不斷增長的庫存，而實現這一目標需要多長時間仍未可知。”
市場觀察者都將視線集中在週四的歐洲央行政策會議上。投資者普遍認為央行會將利率維持在當前的歷史最低水平。中國發佈了三月的最終交易數據，其中第一季度的原油進口量同比增長13.4%。
紐約商品交易所五月交付的精制汽油合約下跌了29個點，達到每加侖1.5039美元，而五月到期的柴油成交價為1.3259美元，下跌了63個點。
五月到期的ICE汽油的成交價為每噸395.5美元，較週三上漲了8.75美元。
Oil steadies after supply data triggers spike to five-month highs
Crude oil prices lost ground in early Asia trade Thursday as traders took profit after prices surged to a five-month high on the heels of U.S. data that suggested the global glut of oil is dwindling.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude futures for delivery in June CLM6, +0.61% traded at $43.88 a barrel, up $0.08 in the Globex electronic session. June Brent crude LCOM6, +0.68% on London’s ICE Futures exchange rose $0.07 to $45.87 a barrel.
Oil prices jumped overnight as traders looked past the growth in U.S. crude stocks and focused on the decline in distillates inventories and domestic production.
Distillate stocks, which include heating oil and diesel, fell by nearly 3.6 million barrels in the week ended April 15, when analysts expected no change. It was enough to balance out an addition of 2.1-million barrel to crude stockpiles and send total oil and petroleum stockpiles lower for only the sixth time in 24 weeks dating back to the start of November.
Data from the Energy Information Administration also showed the U.S. production of crude fell for the sixth straight week to 8.95 million barrels in the same week.
“It is only natural some traders in early Asia trade are looking to take profit but there are many positive signs that the market is starting to rebalance,” said Stuart Ive, a client manager at OM Financial.
Persistent oversupply has dragged oil prices down for nearly two years but signs of declining production has boosted sentiment in recent weeks. Prices edged higher even after a group of key producers failed to clinch an output freeze agreement last week.
Apart from the slowing production in the U.S., traders are also expecting supply outages elsewhere in the world such as Iraq, Nigeria, and the North Sea to further mop up excess supply. China’s crude production is also expected to fall around 5% this year.
“This, combined with the accelerating cuts in North America, South America, and Europe, should help to ease the global oversupply and flip into a deficit by second half of 2017,” saidGordon Kwan, the head of Asia oil and gas at Nomura.
While supply is showing signs of shrinking, the slowing growth in demand is limiting price increases. The International Energy Agency now expects global oil demand growth to moderate to around 1.2 million barrels a day in 2016, slower than the 1.8 million barrels a day expansion of last year.
“What we need is for production decline and demand growth to move much faster in order to counter the growing inventories and it remains to be seen how long this process will take,” said Ben Le Brun, a market analyst at OptionsXpress.
Market watchers will be focusing on the European Central Bank’s policy meeting later Thursday. The central bank is widely expected to hold interests steady at record low level. China is also expected to release its final March trade data, which should show the country’s crude imports in the first quarter of this year rose 13.4% from the same period last year.
Nymex reformulated gasoline blendstock for May RBK6, +0.46% — the benchmark gasoline contract — fell 29 points to $1.5039 a gallon, while May diesel traded at $1.3259, 63 points lower.
ICE gasoil for May changed hands at $395.50 a metric ton, up $8.75 from Wednesday’s settlement.
本文翻譯由兄弟財經提供
文章來源：
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-steadies-after-supply-data-triggers-spike-to-five-month-highs-2016-04-21