據世界石油12月12日報道，隨著人們對病毒新毒株最嚴重擔憂的消退，石油價格創下三個多月來最大單周漲幅。

西得克薩斯中質原油期貨本周上漲8.2%。到目前為止，燃油消耗沒有受到奧密克戎變異病毒的任何重大打擊。然而信心是有限的。由于感染率上升，一些國家政府收緊了旅游限制，上周四發生的類似拋售活動仍不時出現。

Oanda Corp的高級市場分析師Ed Moya表示：“由于奧密克戎帶來的不安情緒有所緩解，而且美國經濟2022年的增長前景基本未受影響，原油價格本周表現良好。”

在經歷了數周的暴跌之后，石油在11月30日跌入熊市后出現了顯著好轉。但對奧密克戎變異病毒的擔憂仍然存在，一項研究表明，其早期階段的傳播率是德爾塔毒株的4.2倍。

一些疲軟跡象正在出現。盡管沙特阿拉伯提高了1月份的石油出售價格，但交易商仍面臨亞洲原油現貨市場疲軟的前景。本周全球基準布倫特原油的即時價差也有所收窄，顯示看跌趨勢。

價格：

紐約1月交割的WTI價格上漲73美分，收于每桶71.67美元。

布倫特原油2月結算價上漲73美分，收于每桶75.15美元。

美國東部的許多地區，包括新澤西州和康涅狄格州，住院人數都在增加。而在英國，在公司開始要求數千名員工在家工作以響應政府最新指示后，倫敦金融城可能即將再次成為鬼城。

在美國，上個月消費者價格以近40年來最快的年增速上漲，加劇了持續的通貨膨脹，并且消費者面臨著十多年來能源賬單的最大漲幅。通脹總體數據繼續增加美聯儲收緊貨幣政策的壓力。

黎泱 編譯自 世界石油

原文如下：

Oil prices see best week since August as virus fears subside

Oil set its biggest weekly gain in more than three months as the worst fears over the new virus strain have receded.

West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 8.2% this week. Fuel consumption so far has escaped any major blows from the omicron variant. Yet confidence is limited. Rallies are still punctuated by selloffs such as that on Thursday after rising infection rates prompted some governments to tighten travel restrictions.

“Crude prices are having a good week as omicron jitters have eased and as the 2022 growth outlook for the US economy remains mostly undeterred,” said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda Corp.

Oil has seen a remarkable turnaround after tumbling into a bear market on Nov. 30, following a multiweek plunge. But concerns persist over the omicron variant, which one study indicates is 4.2 times more transmissible than the delta strain in its early stages.

Some signs of weakness are emerging. Traders are facing the prospect of a weakening physical market for crude in Asia, despite Saudi Arabia’s move to increase oil prices for January. The prompt timespread for global benchmark Brent has also narrowed this week, pointing bearish sentiments.

Prices:

WTI for January delivery rose 73 cents to settle at $71.67 a barrel in New York

Brent for February settlement increased 73 cents to settle at $75.15 a barrel

Many parts of the eastern U.S., including New Jersey and Connecticut, are seeing a rise in hospitalizations. The City of London may be on the verge of becoming a ghost town again after firms started telling thousands of staff to work from home in response to the latest U.K. government guidance.

In the U.S., consumer prices rose last month at the fastest annual pace in nearly 40 years, magnifying persistent inflation and with consumers facing the biggest jump in energy bills in more than a decade. The inflation headline numbers continue to add pressure for the Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy.