Oil rose to $60 a barrel for the first time in almost three months after U.S. President Donald Trump signed off on a partial trade deal with China, giving a boost to the fragile outlook for global oil demand.
Futures climbed 1.4% in New York, reaching $60 for the first time since Sept. 17, and are on track for a slight weekly increase. The phase-one agreement averts new U.S. tariffs that were set to be introduced Dec. 15, although the legal text hasn’t been finalized, according to people familiar with the matter.
“Risk appetite among financial investors is now likely to remain high thanks to the deal between the U.S. and China,” said Eugen Weinberg, head of commodities research at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. Yet “the oil market risks facing a massive over supply and a pronounced inventory build, at least in the first half of the year.”
West Texas Intermediate for January delivery rose 82 cents to $60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 6:48 a.m. local time. Brent for February settlement added 1.7% to $65.27 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe Exchange. The global benchmark traded at a $5.38 premium to WTI for the same month.