April 26, 2023 [Bloomberg]- Oil recouped some of last week’s slump in lower-volume trading as many investors took a pause while awaiting further clues to demand.

West Texas Intermediate rose to trade near $79 a barrel, swinging in a $2.50 range during a volatile session throughout the day. Last week, the commodity experienced the biggest weekly drop since the banking crisis in March amid signs of shrinking refining margins in Asia.

“There are a lot of traders sitting on the sidelines trying to figure out a direction,” said Carley Garner a Commodity Broker and Strategist at DeCarley Trading. “Traders are looking for a dip to get into; if we hold $75, we can start making a way higher.”

Crude has wiped out nearly all of the rally seen earlier this month after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies announced surprise new production cuts. Citigroup Inc. said it was taken aback by the magnitude of the pullback in Asian refining margins, which is partly attributable to the ramp up of new Middle Eastern refineries.

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