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Investing.com -- Oil prices fell Wednesday, pausing a four-day rally fueled by a U.S.-China trade deal, as investors weighed an unexpected rise in U.S. crude inventories.
At 08:10 ET (12:10 GMT), Brent Oil Futures fell 1.1% to $65.89 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures also lost 1.2% to $62.93 per barrel.
Both contracts rallied more than 2.5% on Tuesday, and remained near the two-week high reached earlier this week.
U.S. crude stocks unexpectedly jumped last week - API
However, sentiment has turned Wednesday as investors mulled the American Petroleum Institute’s weekly report, released on Tuesday.
U.S. crude oil inventories unexpectedly surged last week, according to the API report, showing a build of 4.287 million barrels for the week ending May 9, defying analysts’ expectations of a 2.4 million-barrel drawdown.
This marked a sharp reversal from the previous week’s 4.49 million-barrel decline and suggests a potential weakening in demand. The unexpected increase in inventories is considered bearish for crude prices, as it implies that supply is outpacing consumption.
The Energy Information Administration is scheduled to release its official inventory report later on Wednesday, which will provide further insights into U.S. crude stock levels and help confirm these trends.
Trump lifts pressure on Iran
The oil markets are also focusing on U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East.
Trump, during his visit to Saudi Arabia, said that the U.S. will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria, and announced a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the U.S..
The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday also imposed sanctions on companies it said have long sent Iranian oil to China. This came days after the fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. concluded.
"President Trump said tougher sanctions are possible if an Iran nuclear deal isn’t struck," said analysts at ING, in a note.
"Trump has repeatedly threatened to drive Iranian oil exports to zero. While this is unlikely, there’s certainly room for a sizable reduction, with Iran currently exporting in the neighbourhood of 1.6m b/d. In 2019, Iranian oil exports averaged around 600k b/d after Trump reimposed sanctions in late 2018."
U.S.-China tariff easing supports oil
The crude benchmarks had received a boost at the start of the week after U.S. and China agreed to pause in the trade war, started when President Trump imposed hefty tariffs on the Asian giant.
The U.S. will reduce its tariff on Beijing to 30%, from 145%, while China will lower its retaliatory tariff to 10%, from 125% - both for 90 days.
Supporting the upbeat sentiment, data on Tuesday showed that U.S. inflation remained contained, even as economists weighed the impact of rapidly evolving U.S. trade policies.
Ayushman Ojha contributed to this article.