據7月17日Trend報道，周五美國早盤原油價格大體穩定，因對經濟刺激計劃的預期抵消了因病例激增而對燃料需求復蘇的擔憂，同時主要原油生產國準備提高產量。

截至13：50，布倫特原油期貨價格下跌15美分，至每桶43.22美元。美國西德克薩斯中質原油價格下跌5美分，至每桶40.70美元。這兩中合約本周有望基本持平。

周四，美國報告了至少7.5萬例病例，創單日記錄。西班牙和澳大利亞的病例出現了兩個多月來的最大單日漲幅，印度和巴西的病例繼續飆升。與此同時，美國和歐盟的議員們將在未來幾天就下一批經濟刺激計劃進行辯論。

美國能源咨詢公司Ritterbusch and Associates的吉姆里特布希（Jim Ritterbusch）表示："雖然病毒病例仍在上升，限制了石油價格上漲，但對國會將出臺更多刺激措施的預期，似乎為股市提供了支撐，并蔓延至石油市場。”

在歐佩克及其盟友同意從8月份開始將創紀錄的970萬桶/天的減產量削減200萬桶后，基準原油價格周四下跌1%。

澳洲聯邦銀行大宗商品分析師Vivek Dhar表示，實際增產幅度將接近每日100萬桶，因為5月至7月產量超過配額的伊拉克和其他國家將在8月和9月額外減產。

王佳晶 摘譯自 Trend

原文如下：

Oil prices broadly stable as stimulus hopes balance corona fears

Oil prices were broadly stable on Friday in early U.S. trading, as expectations of stimulus programmes balanced concerns about the recovery in fuel demand as coronavirus cases surged, while major crude producers prepared to lift output, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.

Brent crude futures fell 15 cents to $43.22 a barrel by 1350 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped 5 cents to $40.70. Both contracts were on track to remain broadly flat over the week.

The United States reported at least 75,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a daily record. Spain and Australia reported their steepest daily jumps in more than two months, while cases continued to soar in India and Brazil.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in the United States and in the European union are set to debate the next tranches of economic stimulus programmes over the coming days.

“While virus cases remain on the rise in providing an upside price limiter, expectations for some additional congressionally driven stimulus appear to be offering support to the equities that is spilling into the oil space,” said Jim Ritterbusch of U.S.-based energy consultants Ritterbusch and Associates.

The benchmark crudes had fallen 1% on Thursday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed to trim record supply cuts of 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2 million bpd, starting in August.

The actual rise would be closer to 1 million bpd because Iraq and other countries, which produced more than their quota from May to July, would make extra cuts in August and September, said Vivek Dhar, commodities analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.