???? 據路透社2月1日報道，周一，油價在疲軟開局后，出現小幅上漲，仍保持了過去三個月的漲幅。

????格林尼治標準時間02：33，布倫特原油期貨價格上漲10美分，至每桶55.14美元；美國西德克薩斯中質原油期貨價格上漲1美分，至每桶52.21美元。這兩個基準指數在1月都上漲了近8%。

????石油價格上漲的原因在于疫苗接種計劃的推進和沙特阿拉伯等主要產油國的減產。然而，新型冠狀病毒的出現，新冠肺炎病例的增多，加上疫苗推進速度低于預期，削弱了人們對新冠肺炎疫情即將結束的樂觀期待，使得油價承壓。

????盡管如此，隨著更多疫苗在試驗中獲得成功，一些地區感染率的逐漸下降，以及世界上更多人接種新冠疫苗，市場對石油和燃料的需求或將增加。

????FitchSolutions在一份研究報告中表示：“以亞太和北美為主導，需求將全面復蘇。歐洲和拉丁美洲稍有落后，這在很大程度上反映了這些地區主要市場的經濟復蘇放緩。”

????路透社調查顯示，在今年年底經濟復蘇加速前，大部分時間的油價或將維持在當前水準附近。

????值得一提的是，美國石油和天然氣鉆井公司正為需求回升作好準備，隨著油價上漲，新油井再次盈利。1月，美國鉆機數量已連續第六個月增加。

????根據美國能源信息署（EIA）的數據，美國2020年11月的石油產量大幅提高，自4月以來首次突破1100萬桶/天。

????朱小慶吉 摘譯自 路透社

????原文如下：

????Oil treads warily higher amid patchy vaccine rollouts, new coronavirus variants

????Oil prices edged higher on Monday after a weak start, holding on to the past three months of gains, although patchy coronavirus vaccine rollouts, new infections and the discovery of new variants are keeping a lid on prices.

????Brent crude futures were up 10 cents at $55.14 a barrel by 0233 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 1 cents to $52.21. Both benchmarks gained nearly 8% in January.

????Oil prices have been boosted by vaccination programmes getting underway in hard-hit countries and output cuts by major producers like Saudi Arabia. But euphoria over a possible end to the pandemic has been undermined by the slow pace of vaccinations and the rise of new variants of the coronavirus.

????Still, with more vaccines proving successful in trials and infections falling in some areas, demand for oil and fuels is likely to pick up as more of the world’s population gets inoculated against COVID-19.

????“Demand will recover across the board, led by Asia-Pacific and North America,” FitchSolutions said in a research note.

????“Europe and Latin America will lag, largely a reflection of softer economic recovery in key markets in these regions,” it said.

????Oil prices are expected to remain around current levels for most of this year before a recovery gains ground towards year-end, a Reuters poll showed late on Friday.

????U.S. oil and gas drillers are gearing up for a pickup in demand and as higher prices make news wells profitable again, adding rigs for a sixth month in a row in January.

????U.S. output is rising and was above 11 million barrels per day in November for the first time since April, according to the Energy Information Administration.