Oil prices post 3.0pc annual decline

HOUSTON, Jan 01 (Reuters): Oil prices fell around 3 per cent in 2024, slipping for a second straight year, as the post-pandemic demand recovery stalled, China's economy struggled, and the US and other non-OPEC producers pumped more crude into a well-supplied global market.

Brent crude futures on Tuesday, the last trading day of the year, settled up 65 cents, or 0.88 per cent, to $74.64 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled up 73 cents, or 1.03 per cent, to $71.72 a barrel.

The Brent benchmark settled down around 3 per cent from its final 2023 closing price of $77.04, while WTI was roughly flat with last year's final settlement.

In September, Brent futures closed below $70 a barrel for the first time since December 2021, and this year Brent broadly traded under highs seen in the past few years as the post-pandemic demand rebound and price shocks of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine began to fade.

Oil will likely trade around $70 a barrel in 2025 on weak Chinese demand and rising global supplies, offsetting OPEC+-led efforts to shore up the market, a Reuters monthly poll showed on Tuesday.

A weaker demand outlook in China in particular forced both the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the International Energy Agency (IEA) to cut their oil demand growth expectations for 2024 and 2025.

The IEA sees the oil market entering 2025 in surplus, even after OPEC and its allies delayed their plan to start raising output until April 2025 against a backdrop of falling prices.

Output is set to rise to a new record of 13.52 million bpd next year, the EIA said.