Brent crude firm in U.S. inventory, Middle East tension



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LONDON (Reuters) – Brent oil is gaining momentum in US oil prices and a drop in US crude oil inventories for the second week in a row.

FILE PHOTO: An oil pump jack is seen at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, May 3, 2017. REUTERS / Ernest Scheyder / Photo File

The price was near highs above $ 78 a barrel after an Iranian Revolutionary These products were ordered by the United States.

Brent crude LCOc1 futures were up 29 cents at $ 78.05 a barrel by 1121 GMT, while U.S. crude futures CLc1 were down 34 cents at $ 73.80 a barrel, paring gains after rallying 1.2 percent on Tuesday.

Iranian President Hbadan Rouhani appeared on Tuesday to threaten to disrupt oil shipments from neighboring states.

Looming U.S. sanctions on Iranian crude exports, force majeure in Libya and unplanned pipeline outages in Nigeria have been clouding the supply outlook rising rising output by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

"In an ideal world an increase in global or regional oil production would have fallen. These are, however, no normal occurrences, "PVM Oil Associates strategist Tamas Varga said.

"Under these circumstances it is justified to argue for higher prices when production increases are announced," he said.

Trading is expected to be limited on Wednesday by US national holiday, the market has been more volatile.

Implied volatility options, a way of measuring the price of crude oil traders and investors, is at its highest since the run-up to the last month of the year.

With the unclear outlook, investors were turning to options to protect themselves against any sudden move, said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodities strategy at BNP Paribas.

"When there is consolidation in the market, there is also the expectation of an eventual price breakout in either direction. So in the market options, the volatility gets bid up, "he told Reuters Global Oil Forum.

Investors can bet on various aspects of an option, from the premium to the price of what option might move.

Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Edmund Blair

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