Oil Prices Hold Steady Amid Rising US Stockpiles, Tariff Concerns

Oil prices remained steady as traders balanced reports of rising US crude stockpiles with concerns over the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

Brent held near $70 a barrel after a two-day gain, and West Texas Intermediate was around $68. US inventories rose by 7.1 million barrels last week, according to the American Petroleum Institute. That would be the largest increase since January if confirmed by government data on Wednesday, The Caspian Post reports, citing Bloomberg.

Investors continue to monitor US trade policy and any impact on demand, with Trump vowing to push ahead with his tariff agenda in coming days and stressing he would not offer additional extensions on country-specific levies. The president indicated he would also impose new rates on copper imports.

Oil is lower this year, in part due to concerns around the impact from US tariffs and retaliatory measures from targeted countries. The recent conflict between Israel and Iran dialed up volatility, but a fragile truce is now in place, putting the focus back on global trade and OPEC+ supply policy.

In the US, choppy oil prices are limiting drilling, with the Energy Information Administration trimming its crude output growth estimate this year by about 50,000 barrels a day to 160,000 barrels a day. The rig count has declined steadily and is near four-year lows.

The oil market will likely shift to a surplus following a period of peak demand over summer due to accelerated OPEC+ output hikes, said Zhou Mi, an analyst at a research institute affiliated with Chaos Ternary Futures Co. Renewed concerns about tariffs could also dampen demand, he said.