Oil prices steady as declining US inventories offset slowing China demand
Updates with latest prices
By Emily Chow
SINGAPORE, July 17 (Reuters) -Oil prices eased on Wednesday, with global benchmark Brent hovering near a one-month low hit in the prior session on signs of weakening demand in China, although losses were capped by declining U.S. oil stockpiles.
Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 fell 15 cents, or 0.2%, to $83.58 a barrel by 0620 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 eased 13 cents, or 0.2%, to $80.63.
Both benchmarks dropped in the three prior sessions, with Brent crude futures trading as low as $83.30 on Tuesday, the lowest since June 17.
While concerns over Chinese demand continue to weigh on investor sentiment, the drawdown in U.S. inventories is a factor limiting the downside in oil prices, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Singapore-based brokerage Phillip Nova.
"And steady U.S. retail data points out that the economy is still healthy despite higher borrowing costs. This neutralizes fears of a slowdown in the U.S. economy and fears of dented demand for oil," Sachdeva said.
China, the world's top oil importer, saw its economy grow 4.7% in the second quarter, official data showed earlier this week, the slowest growth since the first quarter of 2023.
A stronger U.S. dollar has also weighed on oil prices, said ANZ Bank analyst Daniel Hynes in a note. The dollar index was slightly higher for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, making oil more expensive for investors holding other currencies.
In the United States, the world's largest oil producer and consumer, crude oil inventories fell by 4.4 million barrels in the week ended July 12, market sources said, citing data from the American Petroleum Institute.
Analysts polled by Reuters had estimated crude stocks would fall by 33,000 barrels. The U.S. Energy Information Administration will release its official storage report at 1430 GMT.
Also reducing oil price losses, retail sales were unchanged in June as a drop in receipts at auto dealerships was offset by broad strength elsewhere, a display of consumer resilience that bolstered economic growth prospects for the second quarter.
Meanwhile, rising geopolitical risk is also helping limit oil price declines, Growmark Energy analysts said.
A Liberia-flagged oil tanker was assessing damage and investigating a potential oil spill after it was attacked by Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said on Tuesday.
Reporting by Shariq Khan in New York and Emily Chow in Singapore; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Kim Coghill and Subhranshu Sahu
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