久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

  Home>News Center>World
         
 

Soaring oil just below $55
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-15 14:09

Oil prices are holding firm at nearly $55 a barrel as traders fear time is running out to top up lowly heating oil supplies before winter.

U.S. light, sweet crude oil futures were at $54.64 a barrel on Friday, down 12 cents after having ended on Thursday within a stone's throw of a new all-time high of $54.88 a barrel.

"We may get a bit of profit-taking here, but there's a real supply fear and I think prices will hold," said a London-based futures broker.

Oil has soared nearly $20 in less than four months, lately spurred by a lingering U.S. Gulf production outage that has led to a global shortage of light, easy-to-refine crude oil, coveted for its ability to make transport and heating fuels.

That shortfall has also impeded refiners' ability to build up U.S. heating oil stocks, which are now 10 percent below last year at 50 million barrels, weekly government's data on Thursday showed. Last week supplies were only 6 percent below 2003.

Total distillate supplies also fell to 8 percent below last year, while crude oil stocks rose over the week but remained 3.6 percent under year-ago levels.

In the Gulf of Mexico, around 470,000 barrels per day (bpd) of production remains shut more than a month after Hurricane Ivan hit the area, with some losses expected to linger beyond the end of the year, the government's resource agency said this week.

U.S. heating oil futures soared to a record $1.55 a gallon on Thursday and were trading at $1.5446 a gallon on Friday.

Supplies in the U.S. Central Atlantic region, a major distibution point for the heavy consuming Northeast, are running particularly below average and may have trouble rising before cold weather causes demand to spike.

"If, indeed, heating oil inventories have peaked for this key region, then there is little likelihood that heating oil prices will ease significantly this winter," the Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.

The shortage is also evident in other major regions, with consumers in Germany, Europe's biggest heating oil market, keeping their supplies of heating oil well below last year due to high prices, trading sources said.

German end-user tanks were only 60 percent full at the start of this month versus 68 percent last year, traders said, while in Japan, the world's third-biggest energy user, kerosene supplies are more than 15 percent below last year.

As fears of a winter fuel squeeze dominate traders' near-term perspective, signs are emerging that China's massive oil thirst -- a major factor in this year's price spike -- could slacken as the government moves to prevent the booming economy overheating.

Double-digit oil demand growth from China, the world's second-biggest importer, took the world by surprise this year, stretching OPEC supplies to near their limit.

But the West's energy watchdog said the surge in fuel costs was encouraging conservation measures and switching away from oil. A trader in London said major Asian refiners had scaled back purchases of African oil this month.

Pressure is also easing in Nigeria, the fifth-biggest supplier to the United States, as a general strike that paralysed businesses but did not disrupt oil flows, ended on Thursday.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Leaders express condolences over hostage's death

 

   
 

China, Russia sign on borders, WTO entry

 

   
 

China's foreign trade bounces back into black

 

   
 

Recent natural disasters cost 1,326 lives

 

   
 

Japan publisher stops Rape of Nanjing comic

 

   
 

Kerry's lesbian remark angers Cheneys

 

   
  Bush, Kerry lob post-debate assaults
   
  Some 28 U.S. GIs face Afghan abuse cases
   
  Japan publisher stops Rape of Nanjing comic
   
  Prince Sihamoni named Cambodian king
   
  U.S. marines launch attacks in Fallujah
   
  Bush official: Kerry advantage temporary
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Oil pushing $54; edgy over winter supply
   
Oil hovers above $53
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国内精自品线一区91 | a级毛片网站 | 成年人激情视频 | 特级毛片全部免费播放a一级 | 国产成人午夜片在线观看 | 爽爽窝窝午夜精品一区二区 | 韩国一级特黄毛片大 | 亚洲国产精品日韩高清秒播 | 91久久综合 | 步兵社区在线观看 | 久久国产片 | 欧美 自拍| 精品欧美一区二区三区在线观看 | 日本午色www高清视频 | 香港全黄一级毛片在线播放 | www.亚洲国产 | av av片在线看 | 亚洲精品久久九九精品 | 久久久精品国产 | 成人影院午夜久久影院 | 美女毛片在线观看 | 成人伊人 | 一区二区3区免费视频 | 国产免费黄色网址 | 欧美黑寡妇特a级做爰 | 日本三级午夜 | 久久久久琪琪去精品色村长 | 国产九九视频在线观看 | 久久精品免观看国产成人 | 成网站在线观看人免费 | 国产乱纶| 亚洲一区免费在线 | 一级a爰片久久毛片 | 99精品久久久久久久免费看蜜月 | 美女黄频免费观看 | 久久青草免费免费91线频观看 | 日韩www视频 | 午夜成年人网站 | 成人三级在线视频 | 美女视频大全网站免费 | 午夜性爽快免费视频播放 |