據路透社8月5日報道，石油價格周三上漲，此前庫存數據顯示美國原油庫存大幅下降，但由于全球新冠肺炎病例不斷增加，對燃料需求的擔憂限制了油價上漲。

格林尼治標準時間07：13，布倫特原油價格上漲31美分，漲幅為0.7%，至每桶44.74美元。該合約周二上漲0.6%，達到3月6日以來的最高收盤價。

西德克薩斯中質原油價格上漲26美分，至每桶41.96美元，漲幅為0.6%。該合約周二收盤上漲1.7%，為7月底以來的最高收盤價。

根據行業組織美國石油學會(American Petroleum Institute)的數據，在截至8月1日的一周內，原油庫存減少了860萬桶，至5.2億桶，降幅高于分析師減少300萬桶的預期。

美國能源信息署(EIA)的官方數據于周三晚些時候公布。OANDA高級市場分析師Jeffrey Halley表示："降幅變大，幾乎證實美國石油產量已大幅下滑，日降幅可能達數百萬桶。這可能足以抵消人們對新冠肺炎疫情導致經濟放緩的擔憂，并推動油價走高，擺脫長達一個月的夏季低迷狀態?！?/span>

但是，冠狀病毒病例在全球繼續上升。在美國，每天的死亡人數超過1000人，與此同時，數十個州不得不暫停或放緩重新開放經濟的計劃。

有跡象顯示，國會民主黨和白宮就新冠病毒救援方案的談判開始朝著正確的方向邁進，盡管雙方仍存在很大分歧，但這也助長了市場的樂觀情緒。

本周公布的美國工廠數據也顯示訂單有所改善，部分分析師認為這緩解了市場對經濟復蘇風險的擔憂。

周三公布的數據顯示，7月份日本服務業連續第6個月萎縮，表明日本這個全球第三大經濟體和第四大石油進口國的經濟活動仍承受著疫情危機帶來的壓力。

王佳晶 摘譯自 路透社

原文如下：

Oil prices rise as U.S. crude inventories show large drop

Oil prices rose on Wednesday after inventory data showed a big drop in U.S. crude stocks although gains were capped by concerns over fuel demand with mounting global COVID-19 cases.

Brent crude was up by 31 cents, or 0.7%, at $44.74 a barrel by 0713 GMT. The contract rose 0.6% on Tuesday to its highest close since March 6.

West Texas Intermediate oil was up by 26 cents, or 0.6%, at $41.96 a barrel. The contract ended Tuesday trading 1.7% higher, its highest close since late July.

Crude inventories fell 8.6 million barrels in the week to Aug. 1 to 520 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations for a drop of 3 million barrels, according to data from the American Petroleum Institute, an industry organization.

Official figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration are due out later on Wednesday.

“A much larger fall will all but confirm that U.S. oil production has fallen materially, by possibly millions of barrels a day,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA.

“That could be enough to overcome COVID-19 slowdown fears, and force oil prices higher, and out of their one-month summer doldrums,” he said.

But, coronavirus cases continue to rise globally. In the United States, deaths are at more than a 1,000 a day, while dozens of states have had to pause or scale back plans to reopen their economies.

Helping support sentiment were signs that talks between Democrats in Congress and the White House on a new package of coronavirus relief started moving in the right direction, although the two sides remain far apart.

U. S. factory data this week also showed an improvement in orders, which some analysts saw as offering relief to concerns about risks to any recovery.

Japan’ services sector contracted for a sixth consecutive month in July, data showed on Wednesday, suggesting activity in the world’s third-biggest economy and fourth-biggest oil importer remained under pressure from the health crisis.