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By Nicole Jao
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 4% on Tuesday to their lowest level in six months on concern of oversupply and after U.S. economic data showed an unexpected rise in consumer prices.
Brent crude futures for February fell $3.06, or 4.1%, to $72.97 per barrel by 13:55 ET (1855 GMT). It traded as low as $72.86, the lowest since June. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for January slipped $3.01, or 4.2%, to $68.31.
In the U.S., the consumer price index unexpectedly rose in November, further bolstering the view the Federal Reserve was unlikely to cut interest rates early next year.
Higher rates for longer could slow economic growth and speaks to a softening oil demand picture, said John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital LLC.
Global oil demand growth is expected to slow in 2024 with OPEC and the International Energy Agency split on the extent. OPEC and the IEA both update their forecasts this week.
"Negative sentiment towards the oil complex is still overpowering at the moment," Kpler analyst Matt Smith said.
Weak demand and concerns that the OPEC+ deal to curb supplies will not do enough to balance the market weighed on prices, he added. OPEC+ agreed to limit supplies by 2.2 million barrels per day in the first quarter.
Investors are now awaiting the outcome of Wednesday's Federal Reserve meeting. The central bank is widely expected to keep rates on hold.
In the Middle East, Yemen's Houthis said they attacked a Norwegian commercial tanker in their latest protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza, escalating the risk of supply disruptions in the region.
At the COP28 climate summit, negotiators are awaiting a new draft deal after many countries criticised a previous version as too weak because it did not include an agreement to phase-out fossil fuels.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) lowered its 2024 price forecast for Brent crude by $10 a barrel. Brent would average $83 per barrel, the administration forecasted in a monthly report, versus an estimate published last month of $93 per barrel.
Still, the administration expected supply cuts from the OPEC+ deal would help lift the Brent prices in the first half of 2024.
U.S. crude oil production is expected to rise by 1.02 million bpd to 12.93 million bpd in 2023 and by 180,000 bpd to 13.11 million bpd in 2024, the EIA said. U.S. crude output hit a current all-time high of 12.31 million bpd in 2019.
U.S. oil inventory date due on Wednesday is expected to show a 1.5 million-barrel drop in crude stocks. Trade data from the American Petroleum Institute will give the first snapshot of inventories at 16:30 ET on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Nicole Jao and Alex Lawler; Additional reporting by Emily Chow and Muyu Xu; editing by Jason Neely, Kirsten Donovan, Louise Heavens, Deepa Babington and David Gregorio)
