Oil Prices Jump on U.S. Crude Supply Data

Oil prices rose following a report that U.S. crude stocks may have dropped for the fifth week in a row, however, contracts continued to be close to the $50-per-barrel mark where most traders presently perceive a fair price for crude.

U.S. WTI oil futures traded up 49 cents or 1% from their previous finish at $49.18 a barrel while the benchmark Brent crude futures were up 42 cents or 0.8% at $51.29 a barrel.

Traders state that the surge in prices was mostly due to a report by the American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday, revealing that U.S. crude supplies most likely dropped for the fifth consecutive week, falling by 7.6 million barrels. The U.S. EIA is scheduled to release official inventory figures on Wednesday. Analysts are expecting a supply accumulation of 2.6 million barrels during the previous week.

News are provided by InstaForex