MARKET WATCH: NYMEX May crude oil reaches above $50/bbl

The light, sweet crude oil contract for May settled above $50/bbl on the New York market Mar. 30 while the May Brent contract settled above $52.90/bbl in London. Prices edged lower on both markets on Mar. 31.
March 31, 2017
2 min read

The light, sweet crude oil contract for May settled above $50/bbl on the New York market Mar. 30 while the May Brent contract settled above $52.90/bbl in London. Prices edged lower on both markets on Mar. 31.

Analysts attributed price gains earlier in the week to a combination of reduced production in Libya and lower US distillates and gasoline inventories.

The oil-price rebound started with reports that militia had tampered with a pipeline from Sharara, an oil field in western Libya, to an export terminal, shutting in production. Libya’s crude production dropped to about 500,000 b/d—the lowest since September 2016.

Libya was exempted from production-cut targets by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other major producers. The total target is 1.8 million b/d with OPEC members agreeing to account for 1.2 million b/d of that.

Iraq has cut its oil production by more than 300,000 b/d. Iraq’s state oil marketing company SOMO reported that Iraq’s average production in March was 4.464 million b/d. Iraq’s compliance to OPEC’s cuts is 90%, SOMO Director Falah al-Amiri told Reuters.

Energy prices

The crude oil contract for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 89¢ on Mar. 30 to close at $50.35/bbl while the June contract gained 78¢ to $50.78/bbl.

The natural gas price for May dropped 40¢ to a rounded $3.19/MMbtu. The Henry Hub cash gas price closed Mar. 30 at $3.07/MMbtu, up 4¢.

Heating oil for April was up nearly 1.6¢ to a rounded $1.56/gal. Reformulated gasoline stock for oxygenate blending for April climbed almost 1¢ to a rounded $1.68/gal.

The Brent crude contract for May on London’s ICE gained 54¢ to $52.96/bbl. The June contract was up by 59¢ to $53.13/bbl. The gas oil contract settled at $470/tonne on Mar. 30, up $6.25.

The average price for OPEC’s basket of benchmark crudes on Mar. 30 was $50.20/bbl, up 66¢.

Contact Paula Dittrick at [email protected].

About the Author

Paula Dittrick

Senior Staff Writer

Paula Dittrick has covered oil and gas from Houston for more than 20 years. Starting in May 2007, she developed a health, safety, and environment beat for Oil & Gas Journal. Dittrick is familiar with the industry’s financial aspects. She also monitors issues associated with carbon sequestration and renewable energy.

Dittrick joined OGJ in February 2001. Previously, she worked for Dow Jones and United Press International. She began writing about oil and gas as UPI’s West Texas bureau chief during the 1980s. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska in 1974.

Sign up for Oil & Gas Journal Newsletters