On Thursday, the oil market shows steady growth: Brent quotes rose to the level of $87.50 per barrel. The North American grade of WTI oil is trading today near the level of $81.50 per barrel. Traders continue to evaluate data on fuel stocks in the United States. According to the report of the Ministry of Energy, commercial oil reserves increased by 533 thousand barrels last week. The growth of reserves was recorded for the fifth week in a row. Gasoline inventories increased by 1.76 million barrels, while distillate inventories decreased by 507 thousand barrels. Analysts predicted an increase in oil reserves by 1.5 million barrels, an increase in gasoline reserves by 1.5 million barrels and a drop in distillate reserves by 1.6 million barrels. Experts note that the data of the Ministry of Energy reflected what the market has been putting into quotes in recent weeks: the growing premium of Brent compared to WTI since the end of December leads to an increase in exports, which limits the growth of stocks, despite the weak workload of American refineries. Investors are also assessing the risks of a recession in the global economy and the prospects for fuel demand in China. Fears of a recession and the weakening of hopes for a «soft landing» for the economy remain negative factors for the market. At the same time, analysts expect that optimism about a sharp recovery in demand in China will support oil quotes in the near future.
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