Brent Sinks to December Levels
Brent crude oil futures fell toward $73 per barrel on Wednesday, hitting its lowest level since December 2023, weighed down by concerns over rising supply. A Bloomberg report indicated that Libya's rival governments might be close to a deal that could resume oil production after recent disruptions. The potential agreement to restore oil supply could lead to over 500,000 barrels per day re-entering the market. Additionally, oil prices are under pressure from OPEC's plan to increase production in the fourth quarter and ongoing demand worries from key markets. New data from China raised concerns that economic growth in one of the world’s largest oil consumers may not rebound this year, as key factory demand indicators dropped sharply in August. Moreover, the ISM Manufacturing PMI on Tuesday revealed that US factory activity contracted for a fifth consecutive month, and at a slightly faster pace than expected.