At around 6.30 pm (Brasília time), this Wednesday (17th), the WTI spot contract registered a 0.39% drop and was traded at US$ 64.60 / barrel on the New York Stock Exchange. The session received pressure from the United States oil stocks, which grew 2.369 million barrels in the week ended March 9, compared to an increase of more than 13 million barrels in the previous week, according to a report by the Information and Energy Administration (EIA, in English). In addition, the market continues to fear international economic losses and the demand for fuel with the new growth of cases and deaths caused by the coronavirus in European countries, in addition to the new strain of the disease detected in California, USA. The suspension of the Oxford / AstraZeneca virus vaccine in Germany, France and Italy is also of concern. On a positive note, the Federal Open Market Committee (Fomc, in English) of the Federal Reserve (FED, United States central bank) decided to keep the country's basic interest rate between 0% and 0.25%, in line with market expectations.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.