NEW YORK - Oil prices soared on Friday, with U.S. futures closing out May with record monthly gains.
West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 for July delivery settled at $35.49 a barrel, jumping $1.78, or 5.3%.
July Brent crude LCOc1 closed at $35.33 a barrel, gaining 4 cents. However, the more active August LCOc2 contract ended at $37.84, rising $1.81, or roughly 5%.
Both benchmarks saw steep monthly rises due to falling global production and expectations for demand growth as parts of the United States, including New York City, and other countries move to reopen after coronavirus-related lockdowns.
WTI recorded an all-time monthly rise of 88% after trading negative last month. Brent logged an increase of about 40% for its strongest monthly bounce since March 1999.
That put oil investors, worried that a breakdown in trade relations would further hurt oil consumption, at ease.
“There was a lot of nervousness going into this press conference, so it looks like the worst case scenario doesn’t appear to be emerging,” said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital Management in New York.
Oil was also supported by a record-low number of U.S. and Canadian oil and gas rigs, which indicates a further drop in supply out of the world’s biggest crude producer. [RIG/U]
The U.S. oil and gas rig count fell by 17 to an all-time low of 301 this week, according to data from energy services firm Baker Hughes Co (BKR.N) going back to 1940.
