Oil prices inched higher on Friday. Brent crude rose +$1.25 to touch $57.20 a barrel at 1113 GMT, while U.S. crude oil was up +90 cents to $47.99. The uptick came on the back of a number of potential factors.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut crude output by 460,000 barrels per day in December (according to a Reuters survey revealed on Thursday), which could have been a factor in pushing crude prices up. Additionally, there were reports of possible expansion in China’s services sector. What potentially bolstered the crude price increase was China's announcement to hold vice-ministerial trade talks with U.S. counterparts in Beijing on Jan. 7-8 – something that probably creates some hope, given that a large part of 2018 was laden with U.S.-China trade tensions.