Oil settles up 1% on Russia sanctions, interviews for next US Fed chair

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Trump says administration is interviewing for new Fed chair

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US Treasury says sanctions are squeezing Moscow's revenue

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Russian oil loadings at Novorossiysk resume after Ukraine attack

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Oil prices to fall next year, says Goldman Sachs

By Georgina McCartney

HOUSTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Oil prices settled higher on Tuesday after a choppy session as traders weighed the impact of Western sanctions on Russian oil flows, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump saying his administration had started interviewing for the next Federal Reserve chair.

Brent crude settled up 69 cents, or 1.07%, at $64.89 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 83 cents, or 1.39%, to $60.74. U.S. crude futures briefly rose by more than $1 a barrel in afternoon trade to a session high of $60.92 after Trump announced the Federal Reserve chair interviews. Trump has been vocally critical of current Chair Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates more quickly.

"I think this news is supportive of the market because it is obvious what kind of person Trump will bring in for that job. This gave a risk-on type of nudge to the market," said John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital.

Lower borrowing costs typically boost demand for oil and push prices higher.

TREASURY SAYS SANCTIONS SQUEEZING RUSSIA The U.S. Treasury said sanctions imposed in October on Rosneft and Lukoil are already squeezing Russia's oil revenue and are expected to curb its export volumes over time.

"Traders weighed the impact of a growing global surplus against U.S. sanctions that are disrupting Russian crude flows," said MUFG analyst Soojin Kim. A senior White House official said Trump was willing to sign Russian sanctions legislation as long as he retains final authority over its implementation. Trump said on Sunday that Republicans were drafting a bill to impose sanctions on any country doing business with Russia, adding that Iran could also be included.

"This Russia sanctions legislation they are kicking around is exactly the type of secondary sanction that could make a real difference. The risk of losing Russian supplies is supportive and it has the attention of the market," said Kilduff. Russia's Novorossiysk port resumed oil loadings on Sunday after a two-day suspension triggered by a Ukrainian missile and drone attack, according to two industry sources and data compiled by LSEG. Exports from Novorossiysk and a nearby Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, together representing about 2.2 million barrels per day, or roughly 2% of global supply, were halted on Friday, pushing crude prices up more than 2% that day. Oil prices are expected to decline through 2026, Goldman Sachs said on Monday, citing a supply wave that keeps the market in surplus. However, it noted that Brent could rise above $70 a barrel in 2026/2027 if Russian output falls more sharply. Meanwhile, U.S. crude and fuel stocks rose last week, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday.

Crude stocks rose by 4.45 million barrels in the week ended November 14, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Gasoline inventories rose by 1.55 million barrels, while distillate inventories rose by 577,000 barrels from a week earlier, the sources said.

(Reporting by Georgina McCartney in Houston, Ahmad Ghaddar in London. Additional reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru and Emily Chow in Singapore. Editing by David Goodman, Mark Potter, Deepa Babington, Rod Nickel and Lincoln Feast.)