(Reuters) – Oil prices inched up in early Asian trading hours on Friday, holding on to their strong weekly gains, as investors weighed the Middle East conflict and the potential disruption in crude flows against an amply-supplied global market.
futures were up 9 cents, or 0.12%, to $77.71 a barrel as of 0010 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 8 cents, or 0.11%, to $73.79 a barrel.
Both benchmarks were on track for weekly gains of about 8%.
President Joe Biden said on Thursday the U.S. was discussing strikes on Iran’s oil facilities as retaliation for Tehran’s missile attack on Israel. The comments contributed to a 5% rally in oil prices.
The market has started to price in the likelihood of supply disruptions in the Middle East, which accounts for about a third of global supply, ANZ analyst Daniel Hynes said.
“The move has been exacerbated by bearish investors unwinding their bets on lower prices. The move could be extended if investors start building bullish positions in oil,” Hynes said.
However, the supply fears have been tempered by OPEC’s spare production capacity and the fact that global crude supplies have yet to be disrupted by the Middle East…
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