(Bloomberg) -- Oil edged lower in early Asian trading after a rally that saw it hit $70 a barrel for the first time since October 2018 faltered.
Futures in New York traded near $69 a barrel after closing 0.6% lower on Monday. While prices have eased, there’s confidence in the demand outlook as vaccination rates accelerate and mobility expands in key regions. BP (NYSE:BP) Plc sees a strong recovery, and traffic in a number of European cities was as busy as in 2019 for the first time since the pandemic.
Crude’s advance from the worst of the virus has stalled a handful of times this year, but prices have managed to return to an upward track as overall global demand keeps improving. The Covid-19 comeback in Asia and parts of Latin America is a reminder that the rebound will be bumpy, however.
The market is also watching for any progress between Iran and world powers to revive a nuclear deal, which will likely see the removal of U.S. sanctions and increased Iranian crude flows. Discussions are entering a decisive phase, according to the agency monitoring Tehran’s atomic sites.
Brent remains in a bullish market structure. The prompt timespread for the global benchmark oil was 39 cents a barrel in backwardation -- where near-dated contracts are more expensive than later-dated ones. That compares with 40 cents on Friday.
There’s a lot of evidence that suggests that demand will be strong and that U.S. shale producers will remain disciplined, BP Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney told Bloomberg in St. Petersburg, Russia. His comments echo those of other industry executives encouraged by a robust rebound in key nations.
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