Global oil prices in the international market, today surged to a 2-month high on growing signs of a rebound in oil demand.
Nigeria’s premium grade, Bonny Light is trading at $33.95 barrel per barrel as against $29.65 at the close of the market Tuesday – representing a 13.77 percent increase, and a 2-month high.
Similarly, the Brent crude hit a 2-month high Wednesday, at $35.94 per barrel as at 08.45 pm Nigerian time, while WTI sold for $33.68 per barrel.
The oil rally extended to the fourth day, amid signs that producers are implementing output cuts as promised, with demand picking up due to global easing of lockdowns and hope for the positive test result of a coronavirus vaccine.
At the peak of the global lockdown in April, about 3.9 billion people were affected, but now an estimated 3.7 billion people are living in geographical locations that are experiencing easing of lockdowns and various degrees of reopening.
The June WTI contract expires on Tuesday, but it is unlikely that there will be a repeat of the historic crash to less than zero that was experienced last month on the eve of the expiry of May’s contract. This is largely due to the gradual recovery of demand for crude and its derived products.
The positives in the oil market are also triggered by the implementation of output cuts by OPEC+ and other top oil-producing countries. This is just as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced and advocated for output cuts, a move aimed at rebalancing the market.
The crude oil market was also buoyed by the progress on the global vaccine front. The American Biotechnology company, Moderna Inc., on Monday, said its vaccine had shown to be safe for humans and also demonstrated promising results in stopping Covid-19.