8.02.2005 - 18:16 Uhr
OPEC/Saudis fördern im März weiterhin 9 Mio bpd - Kreise
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones-VWD)--Saudi-Arabien wird nach Angaben eines saudischen Branchenkenners auch im März die aktuelle Fördermenge von 9 Mio Barrel pro Tag (bpd) aufrecht erhalten. Bisher könne man noch nicht beurteilen, ob die Organisation Erdöl exportierender Länder (OPEC) ihre Fördermenge erneut reduzieren werde, sagte der Saudi. Die aktuelle Lage sei verwirrend, und die OPEC-Minister brauchten mehr Zeit, um Angebot und Nachfrage genauer zu analysieren. Derzeit gebe es jedenfalls keine Überlegungen, die Fördermenge Saudi-Arabiens zu ändern. -Von Karen Matusic, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 (0) 6196 405 392,
konjunktur.de@dowjones.com
(ENDE) Dow Jones Newswires/18.2.2005/hab
Posted on Fri, Feb. 18, 2005
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Oil prices rebound above $48 per barrel
GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press
VIENNA, Austria - Crude oil futures prices rebounded above $48 a barrel in thin trading Friday on the back of bargain-hunting by traders following a drop in prices the previous day.
Still, analysts said that after the volatility of the past few days, sparked by tensions over Iran and a relatively bullish OPEC report, markets would likely settle into a narrow range in the coming days.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light sweet crude for March delivery rose 81 cents to settle at $48.35 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, erasing Thursday's 79 cent decline. March heating oil prices rose 3.65 cents to $1.3493 a gallon on Nymex, which closed early at 1 p.m. ahead of the Presidents Day holiday in the United States.
Brent crude for April delivery rose 52 cents to $46.34 on the International Petroleum Exchange in London.
Victor Shum, oil analyst at Purvin & Gertz, an energy consulting agency, said that trading volumes will remain sluggish until Presidents Day on Feb. 21.
"Because of the public holiday, we can expect trading volume to be thin for the next few days," Shum said.
In London, oil price strategist Adam Sieminski of Deutsche Bank said he expected "lack of news" to dominate next week.
"So maybe the price will calm down a bit," he said. "But the underlying fundamentals are still very robust, so if the price does go down, it won't be by very much."
Prices had surged following a prediction from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that daily global demand would rise to 83.8 million barrels this year, a 5 percent increase on the group's estimate last month.
Separately, an explosion in Iran briefly spiked oil prices on Wednesday, reflecting traders' jitters about the possibility of attack.
Oil prices have been rising on most days over the past week on worries that OPEC - which controls 40 percent of world oil exports - might cut production at its March 16 meeting in Isfahan, Iran.
OPEC acting Secretary-General Adnan Shihab Eldin has said the group may cut up to 1 million barrels a day. But Nigeria and fellow OPEC member Algeria have suggested no major reductions are needed.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, oil demand in the United States averaged nearly 21.1 million barrels per day over the last month, 3 percent above last year's level. Crude stocks were at 296.4 million barrels per day for the week ending Feb. 11, up 22.6 million barrels per day from a year ago.
While Nymex crude oil prices remain about $7 lower than the all-time closing high of $55.17 set in late October, they are nearly 40 percent higher than a year ago.
In other Nymex trading Friday, March unleaded gasoline rose 2.69 cents to settle at $1.2634 a gallon, while March natural gas fell 1.5 cent to $5.908 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Quelle: thestate.com