Oil prices increased on Wednesday as market participants anticipated a rise in demand from China, the world’s largest crude importer. This optimism came after Beijing announced plans to relax monetary policy to stimulate economic growth. By 0730 GMT, Brent crude futures had risen by 24 cents, or 0.3%, to $72.43 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures also increased by 24 cents, or 0.4%, to $68.83.
On Monday, China declared that it would implement an “appropriately loose” monetary policy in 2025, marking the first easing of its stance in 14 years, as the government aims to boost its economy. “Oil prices have found some stability recently, as stronger signals from Chinese authorities have reignited hopes for more robust stimulus measures to come in 2025,” said Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist at IG. However, he noted that price gains are somewhat limited, as market participants are seeking more concrete details beyond the usual positive messaging.
In November, Chinese crude imports grew annually for the first time in seven months, increasing by over 14% compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, Mukesh Sahdev, head of oil analysis at Rystad Energy, cautioned that China’s policy changes might not fully mitigate the impact of the trade measures proposed by President-elect Donald Trump. “These changes can only help prevent further declines at best,” he stated.
In the United States, crude oil and fuel stocks rose last week, according to sources citing figures from the American Petroleum Institute. Crude stocks increased by 499,000 barrels for the week ending December 6, while gasoline inventories rose by 2.85 million barrels, and distillate stocks increased by 2.45 million barrels.
Official data on oil stocks from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is scheduled for release on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET (1530 GMT). Analysts polled by Reuters predict a decline of 900,000 barrels in crude stocks and an increase of 1.7 million barrels in gasoline inventories.