|

Crude Oil dips then recovers on Thursday after US supplies draw down, China demand picks up

  • US Crude Oil stocks rose less than expected this week.
  • China saw an uptick in Crude Oil demand.
  • Market shrugs off more productive US Crude Oil well efficiency.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell towards $77.60 per barrel early Thursday before a firm rally in the US trading session dragged US Crude Oil back into the high end for the day. US Crude Oil supplies rose less than expected this week, and a drawdown in US gasoline reserves is propping up hopes of demand outrunning supply.

China’s Crude Oil imports rose over 5% in January and February according to Chinese government data published on Thursday. The Lunar New Year holiday saw Chinese demand for fuel surge as holiday travel bolstered consumption.

US Crude Oil production continues to rise into record levels, and according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), that trend is set to continue. As noted by the EIA, increasing efficiency in already-existing US Crude OIl production facilities is driving the total output volume into higher numbers despite a bearish outlook on the total number of production facilities. Counts on US oil rigs are steadily decreasing and the number of new wells being produced has been easing for over a decade. 

However, previously built or “legacy” wells continue to produce higher amounts of Crude Oil as the US energy market becomes increasingly efficient.

WTI technical outlook 

WTI’s near-term churn keeps US Crude Oil bids trapped in a rough range with the $80.00 handle acting as a technical ceiling, and Thursday’s rebound has WTI struggling to etch in chart paper above $79.00.

Daily candlesticks are stuck in a close pattern with the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) near $77.90. US Crude Oil has risen around 10% from early February’s swing low into $71.50, but further topside moment has drained out of WTI.

WTI hourly chart

WTI daily chart

WTI US OIL

Overview
Today last price78.65
Today Daily Change0.04
Today Daily Change %0.05
Today daily open78.61
 
Trends
Daily SMA2077.66
Daily SMA5075.19
Daily SMA10076.01
Daily SMA20077.86
 
Levels
Previous Daily High80.01
Previous Daily Low77.5
Previous Weekly High80.33
Previous Weekly Low75.73
Previous Monthly High79.27
Previous Monthly Low71.46
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%79.05
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%78.46
Daily Pivot Point S177.4
Daily Pivot Point S276.19
Daily Pivot Point S374.88
Daily Pivot Point R179.92
Daily Pivot Point R281.23
Daily Pivot Point R382.44

Author

Joshua Gibson

Joshua joins the FXStreet team as an Economics and Finance double major from Vancouver Island University with twelve years' experience as an independent trader focusing on technical analysis.

More from Joshua Gibson
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD gathers recovery momentum, trades near 1.1750

Following the correction seen in the second half of the previous week, EUR/USD gathers bullish momentum and trades in positive territory near 1.1750. The US Dollar (USD) struggles to attract buyers and supports the pair as investors await Tuesday's GDP data ahead of the Christmas holiday. 

GBP/USD knocks ten-week highs ahead of holiday slowdown

GBP/USD found room on the high side on Monday, kicking off a holiday-shortened trading week with a fresh spat of Greenback weakness, bolstering the Pound Sterling into its highest bids in ten weeks. Pound traders are largely brushing off the latest interest rate cut from the Bank of England as the UK’s central bank policy strategy leaves the water murky for rate-cut watchers.

Gold buying remains unabated; fresh all-time peak and counting

Gold builds on the previous day's blowout rally through the $4,400 mark and continues scaling new record highs through the Asian session on Tuesday. Bets for more interest rate cuts by the US Fed, renewed US Dollar selling bias, and rising geopolitical uncertainties turn out to be key factors driving flows towards the bullion. Traders now look to the delayed release of the revised US Q3 GDP print and US Durable Goods Orders for a fresh impetus.

ETHZilla sells over 24,000 ETH, community reacts to shift away from DAT strategy

Peter Thiel-backed ETHZilla announced it sold 24,291 ETH for ~$74.5 million to redeem outstanding senior secured convertible notes. "We plan to use all, or a significant portion, of the proceeds to fund the redemption," ETHZilla noted in a Monday X post.

Ten questions that matter going into 2026

2026 may be less about a neat “base case” and more about a regime shift—the market can reprice what matters most (growth, inflation, fiscal, geopolitics, concentration). The biggest trap is false comfort: the same trades can look defensive… right up until they become crowded.

XRP steadies above $1.90 support as fund inflows and retail demand rise

Ripple (XRP) is stable above support at $1.90 at the time of writing on Monday, after several attempts to break above the $2.00 hurdle failed to materialize last week. Meanwhile, institutional interest in the cross-border remittance token has remained steady.