By Yuka Obayashi and Jeslyn Lerh
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil eased on Friday after a rally the previous day, but prices remained set for a second straight weekly gain as investors weighed the impact of hurricane damage on U.S. demand against any broad supply disruption if Israel attacks Iranian oil sites.
futures fell 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $79.11 a barrel by 0430 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures dropped 21 cents, or 0.3%, to $75.64 per barrel.
For the week, both benchmarks were headed for a 1%-2% gain.
“Oil prices continue to extend (their) run week-on-week, with geopolitical risks fuelling the rebound,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG. But he added that reservations over high crude inventories and a possibly more gradual easing of the U.S. Fed rate have put the recent rally on hold.
In the United States, Hurricane Milton plowed into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after cutting a destructive path across Florida, killing at least 10 people and leaving millions without power. The destruction could dampen fuel consumption in some areas of the world’s largest oil producer and consumer.
“Investors are evaluating how hurricane damage might impact the U.S. economy and fuel demand,” said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, president of NS Trading, a unit of Nissan (OTC:) Securities.
“Oil prices are likely to hover around the current 200-day average levels, with the primary concern being whether Israel will retaliate against Iranian oil facilities,” he said.
The 200-day average for Brent is at $81.68 a barrel and for WTI it’s at $77.36.
Crude benchmarks spiked this month after Iran launched more than 180 missiles against Israel on Oct. 1, raising the prospect of retaliation against Iranian oil facilities. Israel has yet to respond, and crude benchmarks have eased and remained relatively flat through the week.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, however, has said that any strike against Iran would be “lethal, precise and surprising”.
Iran is backing several groups fighting Israel, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes on central Beirut on Thursday night killed 22 people and wounded at least 117, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Lebanese security sources said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was also targeted in the attacks.
Gulf states, meanwhile, are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites, out of concern their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three Gulf sources told Reuters.
On the supply side, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Thursday it has restored production close to levels before the country’s central bank crisis, reaching 1.22 million barrels per day.