U.S. oil up one percent on Venezuela turmoil, but hefty stock build weighs

U.S. oil prices rose by about 1 percent on Thursday, boosted by the U.S. threat of sanctions on Venezuela, but gains were capped by record high gasoline inventories and an unexpected big build in crude stocks in the United States, the world`s top oil consumer.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 62 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $53.24 a barrel by 1:49 p.m. EST (1849 GMT). Brent crude was 13 cents, or 0.2 percent higher, at $61.27 a barrel.

Washington signalled it could impose sanctions on Venezuela`s crude exports as Caracas descends further into political and economic turmoil. The threat to reduce supplies supported futures prices.

The United States, the top importer of Venezuelan crude, is seeking to ensure that the OPEC member`s oil revenue goes to opposition leader Juan Guaido, who swore himself in as interim president, and to cut off money from President Nicolas Maduro, a top U.S. official said on Thursday.

"The market is really concerned about the geopolitical factors and what will happen if there are sanctions on Venezuela," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

Venezuelan oil is predominantly heavy crude, which requires extensive refining. It is frequently blended with lighter crudes to give refiners higher-value products.

With Iran already crippled by U.S. sanctions, a drop in Venezuelan exports could squeeze global supply further.

Geneva-based Petro-Logistics said on its website that Iranian crude and condensate exports in December "fell steeply" from November to less than 1 million barrels per day (bpd) due to U.S. sanctions - lower than some other estimates.

Both Brent and WTI are both backed by light, sweet crudes, and are not directly linked to Venezuelan oil.

But concern about the supply of heavy crudes is apparent in the U.S. physical market, where the price for Mars Sour , a medium crude, shot to its highest since early 2011. For graphic on Venezuela`s crude exports and US crude prices, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2S57l4p

ANEMIC U.S. GASOLINE DEMAND

Weighing on oil futures, U.S. crude inventories sharply rose by 8 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Thursday, versus forecasts for a decline of 42,000 barrels.

Gasoline stocks rose for the eighth straight week to a record 259.7 million barrels, as demand for the motor fuel over the past four weeks fell 0.1 percent from a year ago. [EIA/S]

"The report was rather bearish, punctuated by the large crude oil inventory increase," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital Management. "Gasoline demand remains anemic."

Worries about the longer-term outlook for global economic growth, and therefore demand for crude, has pressured oil prices. Persistent concerns about the U.S-China trade war as well as slower world growth forecasts have kept investors wary.

For graphic on World economic growth and oil demand, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2S3IC0h

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)