Oil prices jumped more than 4%, up from multi-year lows hit earlier on Monday, as hopes of a deeper cut in output by OPEC and stimulus from central banks countered worries about damage to demand from the coronavirus outbreak. Brent crude LCOc1 was at $51.91 a barrel, up $2.24 or 4.5%, by 0812 GMT, off $48.40, the lowest since July 2017. Across the Atlantic, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 hit a 14-month low of $43.32, before recovering to $46.65, up $1.89, or 4.2%.
Both benchmarks marked their first gain after six sessions of losses amid virus worries. The coronavirus, which originated in China, has killed nearly 3,000 and roiled global markets as investors brace for a steep knock to world growth. Equities last week marked their biggest rout since the 2008 financial crisis.
“The unprecedented disruption to economic activity in China has resulted in an estimated 4 million b/d of lost oil demand compared to 5 million b/d during the Great Recession in 2008/09,” Jeffery Currie, head of global commodities research at Goldman Sachs, said in a note.