據彭博社7月21日報道，因市場人氣爆棚，油價扭轉跌勢，從本周早些時候的潰敗中恢復。

　　西德克薩斯中質原油(West Texas Intermediate)周三早盤下跌1.1%后，昨日上漲1.3%。歐洲股市連續(xù)第二天上漲，美國股指期貨走高。

　　原油價格周一暴跌7.3%，原因是市場擔心新型冠狀肺炎病毒delta變異毒株的迅速蔓延將繼續(xù)限制經濟復蘇。周三早些時候，在美國石油協會報告美國原油庫存增加80.6萬桶后，原油期貨價格也出現下跌。如果得到政府數據的證實，這將是自5月份以來的首次周增長。但API也報告了俄克拉荷馬州庫欣關鍵定價點的大幅下跌。

　　隨著變異病毒株在亞洲部分地區(qū)蔓延，并在美國和歐洲擴散，原油價格在創(chuàng)下2014年以來最高水平后，本月有所回落。需求擔憂與供應增加的預期同時出現，歐佩克及其盟友同意從8月起提高產量。

　　荷蘭銀行(ABN Amro)高級能源經濟學家范克夫(Hans Van Cleef)表示，石油目前“處于一個更為中性的階段”。疫情導致未來形勢的不確定性增加，可能導致石油需求復蘇放緩。

　　價格方面

　　倫敦時間上午10點33分，9月交割的WTI原油價格在上午10點33分上漲86美分，至每桶68.06美元。布倫特原油價格當月上漲93美分，至每桶70.28美元。

　　API還報告稱，汽油庫存每周增加331萬桶，盡管彭博社的一項調查預計將增加100多萬桶。與此同時，根據笛卡爾實驗室(Descartes Labs)的數據，美國對汽車燃料的需求在連續(xù)兩周下降后，上周上升了2.2%。

　　有跡象表明，投資者資金正開始回流原油市場。美國石油基金ETF (USO)本周出現5月以來最大的資金流入。其他原油交易所交易產品也獲得新的資金。

　　王佳晶 摘譯自 彭博社

　　原文如下：

　　Oil rises with strength in equities countering higher stockpiles

　　Oil reversed losses, resuming its recovery from a rout earlier in the week as sentiment firmed in wider markets.

　　West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1.3 per cent, after dropping 1.1 per cent early Wednesday. European equities climbed a second day and U.S. index futures moved higher.

　　Crude tumbled 7.3 per cent on Monday on concern that the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus will continue to restrict the economic recovery. Futures also dipped earlier Wednesday after the American Petroleum Institute was said to report an 806,000-barrel gain in U.S. crude inventories. If confirmed by government data, that would be the first weekly increase since May. But the API also reported a large decline at the key pricing point of Cushing, Oklahoma.

　　Crude has pulled back this month -- after hitting the highest since 2014 -- as the delta variant surges in parts of Asia and spreads in the U.S. and Europe. Demand concern has coincided with prospects for higher supply, with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies agreeing to boost production from August.

　　Oil is now “in a more neutral phase,” said Hans Van Cleef, senior energy economist at ABN Amro. “We see increased uncertainty regarding this delta variant, which could lead to lower oil demand recovery.”

　　Prices:

　　WTI for September delivery advanced 86 cents to US$68.06 a barrel at 10:33 a.m. London time

　　Brent for the same month rose 93 cents to US$70.28 a barrel

　　The API also reported a 3.31 million-barrel weekly build in gasoline inventories, even as a Bloomberg survey predicted a draw of more than 1 million barrels. Meanwhile, demand for the motor fuel in the U.S. rose 2.2 per cent last week after two weeks of declines, according to Descartes Labs.

　　There are signs that investor money is beginning to flow back into the crude market. The U.S. Oil Fund ETF, or USO, saw its biggest inflow since May this week. Other crude exchange-traded products have also received new money.