據彭博社7月14日報道，油價從2018年10月以來的最高未回落，美國原油市場強勁表現被市場對新冠肺炎變異病毒威脅需求的擔憂所抵消。

　　紐約期貨交易價格接近每桶75美元，周二上漲1.6%。一份行業報告顯示，美國原油庫存上周再次大幅下降。要知道，該國的石油需求已飆升至新高，汽油和柴油也回到了疫情爆發前的水平。

　　然而，全球前景面臨來自新冠肺炎變異病毒傳播日益嚴重的威脅。印尼公布了創紀錄的陽性病例，悉尼延長了封鎖期。

　　PVM石油聯合公司分析師Stephen Brennock 表示：“石油市場正在醞釀風暴，人們越來越擔心新冠肺炎病例的增加可能會推遲經濟的全面復蘇，進而對近中期的石油需求增長構成重大威脅。”

　　由于疫苗的推出提升了美國和中國等主要經濟體的需求，并促進了歐洲的復蘇，油價今年已上漲逾50%。期貨價格顯示出較短期合約的溢價，而所謂的現貨溢價，通常意味著供應緊張。

　　國際能源署（IEA）警告稱，如果歐佩克+不能解決，阻止該組織恢復生產的僵局，市場將大幅吃緊。

　　價格方面

　　倫敦時間上午10點34分，紐約商品交易所8月份的西德克薩斯中質原油價格下跌0.6%，至每桶74.77美元。周二，收于每桶75.25美元，為2018年10月3日以來的最高水平

　　歐洲期貨交易所9月份布倫特原油結算價下跌0.7%，至每桶75.99美元，周二曾上漲1.8%。

　　布倫特原油現貨溢價每桶78美分，而一周前為每桶88美分。

　　據知情人士透露，美國石油協會(API)表示，上周原油庫存減少了400多萬桶。據彭博社的一項調查，美國能源信息署(EIA)也會發布類似的減產報告。這將是連續第八周下跌，是自2018年1月以來持續時間最長的下跌。要知道，塑料、瀝青、潤滑油和其他工業需求石油產品的消費激增，有助于推動經濟復蘇。

　　王佳晶 摘譯自 彭博社

　　原文如下：

　　Oil dips after hitting 2018 high with market poised to tighten

　　Oil eased from its highest closing level since October 2018 as signs of a strong U.S. crude market were offset by fears over the delta variant’s threat to demand.

　　Futures in New York traded near US$75 a barrel, after climbing 1.6 per cent on Tuesday. American crude inventories declined substantially again last week, according to an industry report published ahead of government data due later on Wednesday. The nation’s oil demand has soared to new heights, with gasoline and diesel returning to pre-pandemic levels.

　　Yet the global outlook faces a growing threat from the spread of the coronavirus variant. Indonesia posted a record number of positive cases, while Sydney extended a lockdown.

　　“Trouble is brewing for the oil market,” said Stephen Brennock, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates Ltd. “Fears are mounting that rising COVID-19 Delta cases could delay a full economic recovery. This, in turn, poses a significant threat to oil demand growth in the near-to-medium-term.”

　　Oil has rallied more than 50 per cent this year as the vaccine rollout lifts demand in major economies such as the U.S. and China, and fosters a recovery in Europe. Futures prices are showing a premium on nearer-term contracts, known as backwardation, which usually indicates tightness.

　　The International Energy Agency is warning that the market will tighten significantly if the OPEC+ alliance doesn’t resolve a standoff that’s preventing the group from reviving production.

　　Prices

　　West Texas Intermediate for August dipped 0.6 per cent to US$74.77 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 10:34 a.m. in London.

　　It settled on Tuesday at US$75.25, the highest since Oct. 3, 2018

　　Brent for September settlement slipped 0.7 per cent to US$75.99 on the ICE Futures Europe exchange after climbing 1.8 per cent on Tuesday.

　　The prompt timespread for Brent was 78 cents a barrel in backwardation, compared with 88 cents a week earlier.

　　The American Petroleum Institute said crude inventories slid by more than 4 million barrels last week, according to people familiar with the data. The Energy Information Administration is expected to report a similar reduction later on Wednesday, according to a Bloomberg survey.

　　That would be an eighth straight weekly draw, the longest run of declines since January 2018. A surge in petroleum use for products such as plastic, asphalt, lubricants and other industrial needs is helping to propel the recovery.