Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday, with top exporter Saudi Arabia expected to raise prices for its crude as part of planned supply cuts, although a strong dollar and moderate economic growth prospects restricted gains. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading at $52.66 per barrel at 0324 GMT, up 33 cents, or 0.6 percent, from the last settlement. Brent crude futures were up 34 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $55.81 a barrel. The gains were due to an expected tightening of physical oil supplies, as major producers like the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) plan to cut crude output from this month in an effort to end a fuel glut that has dogged markets since 2014. Reflecting a tightening market, top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is expected to raise the official selling price (OSP) for all its crude grades to Asia in February. OSPs are a key indicator in determining the prices for crude futures like Brent or WTI. "Crude oil has risen… on expectations of reduced supply excess," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at futures brokerage Forex.com. Crude futures prices are also reflecting tighter supply fundamentals. Both Brent and WTI are in a so-called contango shape since OPEC and other producers like Russia announced cuts, in which crude for delivery within the first half of this year is more expensive than spot contracts. After that, however, the crude curves show flat to backwardated prices in which future deliveries become cheaper, implying a more tepid outlook. Crude futures are also being held back by a strong U.S.-dollar, which makes it more expensive for countries to import dollar-traded fuel. The dollar hit a 14-year peak this week on the back of strong U.S. economic data. Both foreign exchange and crude movements will be impacted by the status of the global economy. Despite encouraging figures in late 2016 and the first days of this year, analysts said that growth prospects were moderate. "The West ended 2016 on a strong note. The Eurozone picked up steam, the UK is defying gravity and the U.S. is on a roll. Note, however, that this strength isn't fully feeding through into Asia.. China and Japan are expanding, sure, but only at a tepid pace," said Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asia Economics Research at HSBC in Hong Kong. Source: Reuters
