Oil prices have not changed in the course of trading , stabilized with near four-month low as the dollar weakened against most currencies , as signs of growth in the service sector in China and the jump in orders in the U.S. has become a factor increasing the demand outlook for energy.
Combination studies that have been carried out of China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing and the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China's non-manufacturing sector grew at a faster pace in October than in the previous month . According to the report , the official purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the service sector rose last month to the level of 56.3 points , compared to 55.4 points in September. Recall that in August, the value of this index was at 53.9 . Meanwhile, data showed that the volume of new orders in the service sector continued to grow in October, but to a lesser extent than in the previous month. Looking ahead, the non-manufacturing firms expect their business conditions to improve over the next three months.
Recall that on Friday , survey data released by the Bureau of Statistics showed that the growth of industrial production in China reached a 18-month high in October , as the company increased production. PMI for the manufacturing sector rose to 51.4 points, compared with 51.1 in September.
As for the U.S. data , they showed that in September promzakazy in the U.S. increased by 1.7 % compared to 0.1 % a month earlier. The result is almost coincided with market expectations . Also published a belated data for August : index fell by 0.1 % against 2.4% in July.
Note also that in the course of today's trading has affected the official statement of the Ministry of Oil Libya Ibrahim Al Awami . He said that the country is preparing to increase production and to restore operations at some export terminals. Meanwhile, the official added that Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa, over the weekend increased production of raw materials up to 400 thousand barrels. This is approximately 100 thousand barrels more than at the beginning of the week. According to him, " soon" will resume the work of one of the country's export terminals , namely Hariga.
The cost of the December futures on U.S. light crude oil WTI (Light Sweet Crude Oil) fell to $ 94.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
December futures price for North Sea Brent crude oil mixture fell $ 0.16 to $ 105.70 a barrel on the London exchange ICE Futures Europe.
Gold prices rose slightly today as the dollar lost some of their positions . However, the precious metal remains under pressure on talk that the European Central Bank may ease monetary policy , as well as renewed speculation that the Federal Reserve may curtail monetary stimulus at the end of this year.
We add that the euro earlier reached a six-week low against the dollar as investors sold the single currency on speculation that the ECB may loosen policy in the near future , but was able to regain lost ground after data showed that the manufacturing sector continued to expand in October. The final report from Markit Economics showed manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 51.3 in October from 51.1 in September. The October result coincided with the preliminary estimates and forecasts of experts. Despite the modest rate of growth in general , increasing the active signals received from all but two countries in the study . Manufacturing output and new orders rose a fourth straight month in October. At the same time , employment declined twenty-first consecutive month of job cuts mainly reflects subdued demand growth and care costs.
It should also be noted that the outflow of gold from exchange-traded funds resumed on Friday . In the SPDR Gold Shares stated that stocks fell by 5.7 million tons , registering with the biggest one-day loss since October 21. The recent drop in stocks indicates that investors are willing to reduce their holdings in gold in favor of other asset classes. In recent years, more investment is directed to the U.S. stock markets , which put one record after another , and seems to be universally accepted , as opposed to gold.
We add that the sharp drop in prices last week has failed to revive the physical demand , some dealers say that the price may drop even below $ 1,300 to attract more buyers.
The cost of the December gold futures on COMEX today rose to $ 1318.60 per ounce.