The International Energy Agency has said it expects global oil demand to grow at the slowest pace since 2009, outside of the coronavirus pandemic, amid early signs that US tariffs are weighing on economic activity.
The energy advisory body said it expected consumption to increase by only 700,000 barrels a day this year. That would be the smallest rise in annual demand since the aftermath of the global financial crisis, with the exception of 2020 when demand contracted by 8.7mn b/d as governments shut key parts of the economy in order to contain the spread of Covid-19.
In its monthly oil market report, the IEA said it had trimmed its forecast from a previous growth estimate of 720,000 b/d, after lower than expected demand in the second quarter of the year, particularly in emerging markets.