Oil found some support Thursday from an increase in Saudi Arabia’s crude prices for Asian buyers, which implied strength in crude demand. But a hefty rise in last week’s U.S. supplies and uncertainty surrounding tariff disputes helped weaken the outlook for crude demand.

Oil prices ticked up in early Asian trading on Thursday, steadying from a sell-off the previous day after Saudi Arabia's state oil company sharply raised March oil prices.

State oil producer Saudi Aramco (TADAWUL:2222) has increased the price of its Arab Light oil to Asia for March by $2.40 a barrel. This adjustment, the largest since August 2022, surpasses the $2 increase that traders and refiners had anticipated,