WTI north-run pokes $76.00, looks to yearly top as brighter mood favors oil bulls

• WTI prints six-day uptrend to refresh the three-month high.
• PBOC optimism, US stimulus chatters underpin oil buying amid softer USD.
• Chatters over oil demand returning to pre-pandemic levels add to the upside momentum.
• China headlines, Fedspeak and API Weekly Crude Oil Stock in focus for fresh impulse.

WTI takes the bids to refresh multi-day high near $75.98, up 0.95% to print a six-day uptrend during early Tuesday. In doing so, the oil benchmark aims for the yearly high of $76.40 as upbeat market sentiment joins hopes of further energy demand.

Market sentiment takes clues from China as the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC)  heavy liquidity injection, recently by 100 billion yuan, battles economic fears related to Beijing and Evergrande.

The Shenzen government investigates the wealth management unit of Evergrande and urged to repay investors. Furthermore, challenges to the world’s second-largest economy, emanating from power cuts adds to the fears for the pair sellers of late. The same backs Goldman Sachs to cut China's 2021 GDP growth forecast while the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) hints at a new threat to the chip shortage, namely power cuts in Beijing. Following that, the World Bank said, per Reuters, “Economic recovery in east Asia and Pacific faces a setback,” while revising down China’s GDP to 8.5% for 2021.

Furthermore, China's Industrial Profits eased to 10.1% YoY versus 16.4% expected in August.

Alternatively, US Fed policymakers have been optimistic of late and seek tapering while those from Asia-Pacific also eyes economic recovery, suggesting further energy demand.

The same help the oil giant British Petroleum (BP) to say, “Global oil consumption is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in Q3 2022, with Asia continuing as the center for oil-product demand growth.” The key energy firm also adds that Oil demand in 2022 is expected to see an average gain of 3.8 million bpd y/y, easing from a growth of 5.4 million barrels bpd in 2021.

It’s worth noting that the risk-on mood can be witnessed by S&P 500 Futures reversing the early Asian losses as well as the run-up of the US Treasury yields to a three-month high.

Moving on, the weekly industry stockpile data from the American Petroleum Institute (API), prior -6.108M, will be watched with updates over China and oil demand for fresh impulse.

Technical analysis

A clear upside break of late July tops near $73.90, coupled with a clear cross of the 18-day-old resistance line around $75.30, enables WTI bulls to pierce the yearly peak of $76.40 while targeting the October 2018 high of $76.80.