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Oil resumes decline, falling toward $64, oversupply weighs

December 12, 2014 00:00:00


LONDON, Dec 11 (Reuters): Oil resumed its downward move on Thursday, falling towards $64 a barrel and within sight of a five-year low, pressured by signs that already ample supply will be even more plentiful in 2015.

Crude prices sank on Wednesday as OPEC forecast an increasing supply surplus in 2015, U.S. crude inventories unexpectedly rose and OPEC's most influential voice, Saudi Arabia's oil minister, shrugged off the need for an output cut.

North Sea Brent crude gave up an earlier gain and was down 4 cents at $64.20 by 1330 GMT. It fell to $63.56 - the weakest since July 2009 - on Wednesday. U.S. crude, which also hit a five-year low on Wednesday, lost 37 cents to $60.57.

"We may see some technical bounces, but it is too soon to speak of a sustainable price recovery," said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank, which on Thursday cut its 2015 Brent price forecast to $73 a barrel from $82.


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