The Oct’24 Brent futures flat price fell this afternoon, from $81.14/bbl at 14.15 BST to $80.20/bbl at 17.30 BST (time of writing), as there were quite volatile movements this afternoon, especially post-EIA stats. The EIA inventory report revealed US crude stocks increased by 1.357mb, compared to the forecast 2mb draw. Stocks at Cushing OK, however, saw a draw of 1.665mb. Both gasoline and distillates saw a larger draw than forecast. US gasoline inventories saw a draw of 2.894mb compared to the forecast of 1.42mb, and distillate stocks fell by 1.673mb compared to the 250kb build forecast as refinery utilisation increased unexpectedly by 1%. Prime Minister Netanyahu has approved an Israeli delegation to Doha, Qatar, for talks on a hostage deal and Gaza ceasefire, along with the negotiation mandate. Iraq has signed preliminary deals for 13 oil and gas exploration blocks, potentially boosting output by 750,000 barrels of crude and 850 million cubic feet of gas. This sixth licensing round focuses on increasing natural gas production to reduce reliance on Iranian imports for power generation. Finally, the front (Oct/Nov) and 6-month (Oct/Apr) Brent futures spreads are at $0.75/bbl and $2.66/bbl respectively.
