Oil rises 4% as global markets rebound

By Annalyn Censky, staff reporter


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil rose about 4% Wednesday, as world financial markets rebounded from losses the day before and traders welcomed a supply report that showed gasoline stocks declined last week.

What prices are doing: Crude for July delivery rose $2.76, or about 4%, to $71.51 a barrel in global trading Tuesday.

crude_oil.png
Click the chart for the current price of oil and other commodities.

Gasoline prices fell for the 20th consecutive day, slipping to $2.771 a gallon from $2.78 the day before, according to a survey by motorist group AAA. In that time period, the price has dropped 15.8 cents, or nearly 5.4%.

What's moving the market: Markets in Europe and Asia both posted gains Wednesday as lower prices on stocks and oil lured buyers. Financial markets in Europe and Asia plummeted the day before on fears about growing political tensions in Korea and continued concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

Oil traders also welcomed a U.S. Energy Information Administration report that showed gasoline supplies decreased by 200,000 barrels last week and distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, decreased by 300,000 barrels.

Crude stocks, however, rose by 2.4 million barrels last week -- a much higher increase than the 100,000 additional barrels forecast by analysts.

What analysts are saying: Oil traders are hoping the decline in gasoline stocks is the first of many to come during the summer, as the peak driving season picks up, said James Cordier, president of Liberty Trading Group.

He expects gasoline prices to start inching up during Memorial Day weekend and increase by 20 to 30 cents per gallon by July 4. To top of page

Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Overnight Avg Rate Latest Change Last Week
30 yr fixed3.80%3.80%
15 yr fixed3.09%3.11%
5/1 ARM2.65%2.69%
30 yr refi3.77%3.86%
15 yr refi3.09%3.21%
Rate data provided
by Bankrate.com
View rates in your area
 
Find personalized rates:
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 12,454.83 -74.92 -0.60%
Nasdaq 2,837.53 -1.85 -0.07%
S&P 500 1,317.82 -2.86 -0.22%
Treasuries 1.74 -0.01 -0.80%
Data as of 8:37am ET
Company Price Change % Change
Bank of America Corp... 7.15 0.01 0.14%
Sprint Nextel Corp 2.62 0.09 3.56%
Cisco Systems Inc 16.33 -0.06 -0.37%
Chesapeake Energy Co... 15.81 0.23 1.48%
Ford Motor Co 10.60 0.01 0.09%
Data as of May 25

Sections

The Senate hearing will focus JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading loss, which Dimon announced earlier this month. More

The offer for mail handlers is part of the Postal Service's plan to cut 150,000 jobs by 2015. More

In the whirlwind of its IPO fallout, there has been a sort of glee in watching the company stumble. What's driving the Facebook-schadenfreude and what can the social network do about it? More

One in six children in the United States is obese. These small businesses have found creative -- and lucrative -- ways to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. More

In Harper County, Kansas, oil companies are offering farmers up to $1,250 an acre for the mineral rights that allow them to drill for oil on their property. More

Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2012 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2012 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2012. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.