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Oil Holds Near Two-Week Lows as U.S. Stock Build and Stronger Dollar Pressure Prices

OPEC+ plans a small December hike then pauses further increases into early 2026 to temper a potential glut.

Overview

  • Brent traded near $63.5 and WTI hovered around $59.6 after settling at two-week lows, following a choppy week for crude.
  • The EIA reported a 5.2 million-barrel rise in U.S. crude inventories for the week ended Oct. 31, while gasoline stocks fell by about 4.7 million barrels to an 11-year low.
  • U.S. crude production held near a record 13.651 million barrels per day, reinforcing supply pressure highlighted in recent weekly data.
  • OPEC+ agreed to raise output by 137,000 barrels per day in December before pausing further increases in the first quarter of 2026, a step analysts say offers limited near-term support.
  • A risk-off tone in equities and a firmer U.S. dollar weighed on oil, with analysts flagging soft demand signals and growing concerns about a developing surplus.