Oil Prices Edge Higher After Steep Two-Day Selloff

Core Insights - Oil prices showed a slight recovery in early Asian trading after two sessions of significant declines, with Brent futures at $66.17 and WTI at $62.50, reflecting a 0.21% increase on the day [1] - The recent price fluctuations are attributed to concerns over a potential OPEC+ production increase and mixed signals from U.S. crude inventory data [2][3] Group 1: Price Movements - Brent and WTI experienced a sharp selloff earlier in the week, with both benchmarks falling over three percent on Monday, marking the steepest daily losses since August 1 [2] - The decline continued on Tuesday, with both benchmarks shedding at least another one and a half percent, indicating market anxiety regarding OPEC+ production decisions [2] Group 2: Inventory Data - The American Petroleum Institute reported a decrease in U.S. crude inventories by 3.67 million barrels for the week ending September 26, suggesting tighter supply conditions [3] - However, gasoline stocks increased by 1.3 million barrels, and distillate inventories rose by 3 million barrels, presenting a mixed supply picture [3] Group 3: OPEC+ Discussions - OPEC+ is reportedly considering a production hike of up to 500,000 barrels per day in November, which is three times the increase seen in October, with Saudi Arabia advocating for a larger increase to enhance its market share [4] - OPEC has expressed unease regarding the reports of a 500,000 bpd increase, labeling them as "misleading," which underscores the uncertainty in the group's decision-making process [4] Group 4: Market Outlook - Traders are closely monitoring the upcoming EIA inventory data, which may confirm the API's reported drawdown and provide short-term support for prices [5] - The near-term direction of oil prices is expected to depend heavily on inventory trends and signals from OPEC+ ahead of its next ministerial meeting [5]