(raw materials / closing price /% change)

Gold $1,325.6 -15.60 +1.16%

ICE Brent Crude Oil $109.50 -0.01 -0.009%

NYMEX Crude Oil $102.05 -0.41 -0.40%

Prices for WTI crude oil continued to rise , reducing the gap with oil Brent, which cost also increased. Influenced the course of trading post by the Energy Information Administration that oil at Cushing fell last week .

Prices rose 1 percent, after it became known that the oil terminal at Cushing fell by 1.08 million barrels for the week ended February 21.

Also, the Department of Energy data on changes in stocks in the week February 17-22, showed :

- Oil reserves rose by 0.068 million barrels to 362.393 million barrels ;

- Gasoline inventories decreased by 2,807 million barrels . to 230.6 million barrels . ;

- Distillate stocks rose by 0.338 million barrels . to 113.062 million barrels .

- Refining capacity utilization rate of 88.0 % against 86.8 % a week earlier .

Recall that yesterday its reserves data provided the Institute of Oil API. They showed :

- Capacity utilization in the week 87.3 % vs. 86.8%

- Distillate stocks last week -0.693 million barrels

- Gasoline inventories last week -0.314 million barrels

- Oil reserves for the week 0.822 million barrels

Also, add that to the new forecast U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), oil production in Syria is unlikely to recover in the near future , as the country continued clashes between government troops and opposition forces . In its report on Syria EIA noted that the country's oil production has fallen sharply since March 2011 due to the conflict and the subsequent introduction of Western sanctions , which resulted in a significant portion of lost revenues from oil exports.

Some market participants continue to act out a report published yesterday by the European Commission , which improved growth estimate for euro area real GDP growth for the current year to 1.2 % from 1.1% in the autumn forecast and assessment in 2015 - to 1.8 % from 1.7% . The European Commission has also improved the outlook for economic growth in the United States for the current year to 2.9 % from 2.6% , in 2015 - to 3.2% from 3.1% . At the same time, the outlook for the global economy worsened : European Commission now expects growth of 3.6% and 3.9 % in 2014 and 2015 respectively , while in November predicted growth of 3.95% and 4.35 %.

April futures price for U.S. light crude oil WTI (Light Sweet Crude Oil) rose to $ 102.77 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).

April futures price for North Sea Brent crude oil mixture rose 14 cents to $ 109.76 a barrel on the London exchange ICE Futures Europe.

Gold prices fell sharply , while retreating from a four-month high reached yesterday as the dollar strengthened . Nevertheless , the price of gold continues to be supported by China's economic policy uncertainty and concern about the U.S. economic recovery in the short term .

On the dynamics of trading also affected U.S. data , which showed that sales of newly built homes rose in January, which was an unexpected sign of strength after a long period of weakness in the housing sector . Sales of new single-family homes rose 9.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 468,000 compared with the previous month , reaching the highest level since July 2008. Result December was revised up to 427,000 . Economists had expected home sales in January to fall to an annual rate of 406,000 .

Increase last month was due to sales growth in the Northeast , where they rose by 73.7 % to compensate for the decline of the previous month . The South and West was also recorded growth , but new home sales fell in the Midwest. January data came after several months of recession, which many economists associated with cold weather. Snow storms and lower temperatures lead to the closure of construction sites and prevent viewed buyers.

Meanwhile, adding that market participants remained cautious ahead of the release semi-annual report on monetary policy Fed chairman Janet Yellen . It is expected that it will be able to clarify the situation with the recent surge of weak U.S. economic data and their impact on future policy .

The presented data also showed that the world's largest reserves of gold exchange-traded fund secured ETF SPDR Gold Trust on Tuesday rose 0.26 per cent - to the level of 803.70 tons.

Add that net exports of gold from Hong Kong to China fell 5.4 percent to 89.745 tons in January from 94.847 tons in December , reflecting the decline in demand from the record level of 2013.

The cost of the April gold futures on the COMEX today rose to $ 1324.10 per ounce.