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    <title>Aaj TV English News - Business &amp; Economy</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright 2026</copyright>
    <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:50:53 +0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Oil falls as weak US economic data stokes recession fears</title>
      <link>https://english.aaj.tv/news/30317250/oil-falls-as-weak-us-economic-data-stokes-recession-fears</link>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TOKYO/SINGAPORE: Oil fell on Thursday as weak U.S. economic data raised concerns over a potential global recession and demand reduction, but benchmark prices were headed for a weekly advance after OPEC+ announced further output cuts and U.S. oil stocks dropped.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Brent crude futures fell 41 cents, or 0.5%, to $84.58 a barrel by 0616 GMT. West Texas Intermediate U.S. crude dipped 45 cents, or 0.6%, to $80.16 a barrel.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Brent and WTI have both gained nearly 6% so far this week, headed towards three straight weeks of increase after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+, pledged voluntary production cuts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Crude oil’s rally paused as it battled the headwinds created by the weak economic data. This offset more positive fundamentals,” ANZ Research said in a note.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The U.S. services sector slowed more than expected in March as demand cooled, while a measure of prices paid by services businesses fell to the lowest in nearly three years, giving the Federal Reserve a boost in the fight against inflation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;New Zealand’s central bank raised interest rates more than expected on Wednesday, and India is likely to be the next in line to step up its benchmark rates.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, U.S. job openings in February dropped to their lowest in nearly two years, suggesting the labour market was cooling. The slew of soft economic data soured market sentiment, stoking fears of a recession and prompting investors to adopt risk aversion strategies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The U.S. dollar index strengthened on Thursday, rebounding from a recent two-month-low. A stronger greenback could dent oil demand as crude becomes more expensive for holders of other currencies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“A slowdown in the U.S. economic outlook is weighing on the upside on U.S. oil prices, however we continue to expect a further uptick in oil prices to the end of the quarter,” Baden Moore and Adam Skelton, analysts from National Australia Bank, wrote in a note.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Underpinning the market, Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, raised prices for its flagship crude for Asian buyers for a third straight month.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“This points to further strength in demand in the region,” ANZ Research said.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;U.S. crude inventories fell 3.7 million barrels last week, about 1.5 million barrels more than forecast, government data showed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Gasoline and distillate stocks also fell more than expected, drawing down by 4.1 million barrels and 3.6 million barrels, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;
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      <content:encoded xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[<p><strong>TOKYO/SINGAPORE: Oil fell on Thursday as weak U.S. economic data raised concerns over a potential global recession and demand reduction, but benchmark prices were headed for a weekly advance after OPEC+ announced further output cuts and U.S. oil stocks dropped.</strong></p>
<p>Brent crude futures fell 41 cents, or 0.5%, to $84.58 a barrel by 0616 GMT. West Texas Intermediate U.S. crude dipped 45 cents, or 0.6%, to $80.16 a barrel.</p>
<p>Brent and WTI have both gained nearly 6% so far this week, headed towards three straight weeks of increase after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+, pledged voluntary production cuts.</p>
<p>“Crude oil’s rally paused as it battled the headwinds created by the weak economic data. This offset more positive fundamentals,” ANZ Research said in a note.</p>
<p>The U.S. services sector slowed more than expected in March as demand cooled, while a measure of prices paid by services businesses fell to the lowest in nearly three years, giving the Federal Reserve a boost in the fight against inflation.</p>
<p>New Zealand’s central bank raised interest rates more than expected on Wednesday, and India is likely to be the next in line to step up its benchmark rates.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, U.S. job openings in February dropped to their lowest in nearly two years, suggesting the labour market was cooling. The slew of soft economic data soured market sentiment, stoking fears of a recession and prompting investors to adopt risk aversion strategies.</p>
<p>The U.S. dollar index strengthened on Thursday, rebounding from a recent two-month-low. A stronger greenback could dent oil demand as crude becomes more expensive for holders of other currencies.</p>
<p>“A slowdown in the U.S. economic outlook is weighing on the upside on U.S. oil prices, however we continue to expect a further uptick in oil prices to the end of the quarter,” Baden Moore and Adam Skelton, analysts from National Australia Bank, wrote in a note.</p>
<p>Underpinning the market, Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, raised prices for its flagship crude for Asian buyers for a third straight month.</p>
<p>“This points to further strength in demand in the region,” ANZ Research said.</p>
<p>U.S. crude inventories fell 3.7 million barrels last week, about 1.5 million barrels more than forecast, government data showed.</p>
<p>Gasoline and distillate stocks also fell more than expected, drawing down by 4.1 million barrels and 3.6 million barrels, respectively.</p>
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      <category>Business &amp; Economy</category>
      <guid>https://english.aaj.tv/news/30317250</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:06:05 +0500</pubDate>
      <author>none@none.com (Reuters)</author>
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        <media:title>Pump jacks operate at sunset in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. REUTERS
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