Oil prices starting to fall as EU tries for Russia import ban

Oil prices fell in early Asian trade on Tuesday as the European Union’s efforts to establish a ban on Russian oil imports, which would reduce global supply, were met with opposition from Hungary. At 0004 GMT, Brent crude prices were down 35 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $113.89 a barrel, while WTI crude futures were down 52 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $113.68 a barrel. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, EU foreign ministers failed to persuade Budapest to reverse its veto on a proposed oil embargo against the country. All EU countries would have to agree on an embargo.

On the demand side, statistics from China indicated that the world’s second-largest country processed 11% less crude oil in April than a year ago, owing to stringent COVID-19 lockdowns, with daily output falling to its lowest level since March 2020 as refiners cut operations due to lower demand.

While Chinese demand falls, manufacturers in the United States ramp up production to refill supplies reduced by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation,” and the coronavirus outbreak. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), oil output in the Permian Region in Texas and New Mexico, the country’s largest shale oil basin, is expected to grow 88,000 barrels per day (bpd) to a record 5.219 million bpd in June.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s inventory decreased to 538 million barrels on Monday, the lowest level since 1987, according to figures released by the US Department of Energy.