By Robert Harvey and Enes Tunagur
(Reuters) – Oil prices held steady on Friday, on track for a weekly rise of 5%, as the Ukraine war intensified and Chinese imports were set to increase in November.
Brent crude futures climbed 33 cents, or 0.44%, to $74.56 a barrel by 1008 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 27 cents, or 0.39%, to $70.37 per barrel.
Both contracts are set for gains of 5% this week, the strongest weekly rise since late September, as Moscow steps up its Ukraine offensive after Britain and the United States allowed Kyiv to strike Russia with their weapons.
Putin said on Thursday Russia had fired a ballistic missile at Ukraine and warned of a global conflict, raising the risk of oil supply disruption by one of the world’s largest producers.
Ukraine has used drones to target Russian oil infrastructure, for instance in June, when it used long-range attack drones to strike four Russian refineries.
“What the market fears is accidental destruction in any part of oil, gas and refining that not only causes long-term damage but accelerates a war spiral,” said PVM analyst John Evans.
The world’s top crude importer, China, announced policy measures on Thursday to boost trade, including support for energy product imports, amid worries over U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs.
China’s crude oil imports are set to rebound in November after sharp price cuts boosted demand for Iraqi and Saudi oil, offsetting a drop in Iranian supply, according to analysts, traders and ship tracking data.
Oil prices briefly dipped after data showed euro zone business activity took a surprisingly sharp turn for the worse this month as the bloc’s dominant services industry contracted and manufacturing sank deeper into recession.
Goldman Sachs said in a note that it expects Brent to stay in a $70 to $85 range, but added that prices could reach the top end of that if Iranian output is impacted by Trump’s possible tightening of sanctions.
(Reporting by Robert Harvey and Enes Tunagur in London, and Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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