Brent crude steadies near $105 as Saudi offers Asian loadings
Brent crude prices are hanging around $105 per barrel this Thursday, with just a tiny dip.
Saudi Arabia is offering more loadings of crude oil to Asian refiners via ship-to-ship transfer off Oman's Sohar port, which seems to be helping calm supply worries.
Meanwhile, US oil futures also nudged down a bit, and prices on the Multi Commodity Exchange saw some small shifts.
US crude inventories fall 600,000 barrels
The big twist: US crude inventories actually fell by 600,000 barrels last week, way off from the big increase the American Petroleum Institute (API) expected.
Gasoline and distillate stocks went up slightly but are still below typical levels.
Over the past month, total US petroleum supply is down 0.6% compared with last year, and possible supply hiccups due to world events.
All of this could mean more price changes ahead for anyone keeping an eye on energy costs.