Oil higher, Gas Association roasts Biden tweet, 17th-straight day gas lower, crypto lower

Oil prices reversed losses and edged up on Monday as concerns of tight supply amid lower OPEC output, unrest in Libya and sanctions on Russia outweighed fears of a global recession. 

Brent crude futures for September rose 55 cents, or 0.5%, to $112.18 a barrel at 0650 GMT, after falling over $1 in early trade.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for August delivery gained 44 cents, or 0.4%, to $108.87 a barrel, after also falling $1 earlier. 

Output from the 10 members of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in June fell 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 28.52 million bpd, off their pledged increase of about 275,000 bpd, a Reuters survey showed. 

Declines in Nigeria and Libya offset increases by Saudi Arabia and other large producers, and Libya faces further supply disruption due to escalating political unrest, making the likelihood of OPEC meeting its newly increased production quotas even more unlikely, said ANZ Research analysts in a note. 

Libya’s exports have dropped to between 365,000 bpd and 409,000 bpd, down about 865,000 bpd compared to normal levels, the National Oil Corp said last week. 

Traders will be watching out for official prices for August from top oil exporter Saudi Arabia for signs of how tight the market is, with refiners bracing for another sharp increase close to the record set in May. 

Nine refining sources surveyed by Reuters expected Saudi’s flagship Arab Light crude official selling price could rise by about $2.40 a barrel from the previous month.

Click here for more.