Overview
- Brent and WTI edged higher early Thursday after nearly 2% declines Wednesday tied to a stronger dollar and a report of U.S. proposals to end the Ukraine war.
- Reuters reports a Nov. 21 deadline for firms to cease operations with Rosneft and Lukoil under U.S. sanctions, and Rosneft has cut its Kurdistan Pipeline stake below 50% to protect its exporting unit.
- Weekly EIA data showed a larger-than-expected U.S. crude draw of 3.43 million barrels alongside bigger builds in gasoline and distillates, with Cushing stocks also lower.
- Supply support persists from reduced Russian flows, with Vortexa citing oil-product shipments at 1.7 million bpd in early November, the lowest in more than three years, and Bloomberg tracking crude exports at a three-month low.
- Broader balances point to growing surplus risk next year, as OPEC+ lifts output by about 137,000 bpd in December and the IEA projects a sizable 2026 glut.