Oil climbs above US$ 107 on strong Chinese demand

Reuters: Brent crude oil rose above US$ 107 a barrel on Monday, snapping five straight days of losses after Chinese data showed the world’s biggest energy consumer was rebounding after a slowdown.

China’s implied oil demand in November surpassed 10 million barrels per day (bpd) for the first time while its crude imports rose to the second-highest daily rate on record, providing more evidence of recovery after data over the weekend showed refinery runs rose to a new high.

Brent futures gained 50 cents to US$ 107.52, ending its longest losing streak since early November. The North Sea contract shed almost 4% last week.

United States light crude oil futures rose 45 cents to US$ 86.38, reversing four straight days of declines.

“Chinese data is particularly strong,” said senior oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt Carsten Fritsch.

“The figures are another confirmation that Chinese oil demand is accelerating again, and there are good reasons to expect that it will carry on growing strongly next year.”

Apparent oil demand in China, the largest user of energy and second-biggest consumer of oil after the US, grew at its fastest pace in two years and was 610,000 bpd above the previous record.

China imported 5.69 million bpd of crude last month, just below an all time high of 5.98 million bpd in February this year.

Data on Sunday showed China’s refinery runs rose 9.1% to 10.125 million bpd from a year earlier as companies started new refining units.

China’s factory output and retail sales jumped in November as consumer inflation bounced off 33-month lows, indicating the country is enjoying an enviable mix of benign inflation and rebounding economic growth.

“The industrial production and retail sales data China released over the weekend build on the picture painted by recent data, which suggests that China’s economy has turned the corner and is growing at over 7.5% annually,” said chief market analyst at CMC Markets Ric Spooner.

The data followed numbers out of the United States that showed the unemployment rate fell to a near four-year low of 7.7%.

Asian stock markets took heart from the positive data, rising to a 16-month high.

Investors await the outcome of a meeting of the US Federal Reserve, which is expected to signal it will continue to pump money into the economy in 2013.

The market will also watch for comments on the supply outlook at a meeting of the organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on 12 December.

The group is expected to stick with an output target of 30 million bpd agreed a year ago despite high stockpiles and slowing demand growth because turmoil in the Middle East has kept prices above US$ 100 for most of this year.