RoydadNaft –  Oil ended the day with a slight decline, and prices are on track for their largest annual drop since 2020, as investors weighed U.S. economic growth against the risks of supply disruptions from Venezuela and Russia.

According to Roydad Naft, Brent crude futures closed down 14 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $62.24 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 3 cents, or 0.05 percent, to $58.29.

Both contracts have risen about 6 percent since December 16, 2025 (December 16, 2025), when they plunged to near five-year lows.

Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG, said: “What we’ve seen over the past week is a combination of position-squaring in thin markets after last week’s breakdown failed to follow through, coupled with heightened geopolitical tensions including the U.S. blockade on Venezuela, and supported by last night’s robust GDP data.”

U.S. data showed that the world’s largest economy grew at its fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, fueled by strong consumer spending and a sharp increase in exports.

However, Brent and WTI prices are on course for declines of around 16 percent and 18 percent this year, respectively—the steepest drops since 2020, when the COVID pandemic hammered oil demand—as supply is expected to outpace demand next year.

On the supply side, disruptions to Venezuelan exports have been the most significant factor supporting oil prices, while attacks by Russia and Ukraine on each other’s energy infrastructure have also bolstered the market, according to a report by Haitong Futures.

More than a dozen loaded vessels are waiting in Venezuela for new instructions from their owners after the U.S. seized the supertanker Skipper this month and targeted two more vessels over the weekend.

Dennis Kissler, senior vice president of trading at BOK Financial, said: “Choppy holiday trading seems to be the norm here, with the Venezuela blockade as the focal point heading into the holiday weekend.”

In addition, oil shipments from Kazakhstan via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium are set to fall by a third in December to their lowest level since October 2024 (October 2024) following a Ukrainian drone attack that damaged facilities at the main CPC export terminal, two market sources said on Wednesday.

Market sources, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday, said U.S. crude inventories rose by 2.39 million barrels last week, while gasoline stocks increased by 1.09 million barrels and distillate inventories rose by 685,000 barrels.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration is scheduled to release official inventory data on Monday, later than usual due to the Christmas holiday.