NYMEX-Crude steadies above $96 on global economy optimism
SINGAPORE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - U.S. crude steadied above $96 per barrel on Wednesday after positive services sector data from the United States and Europe strengthened the view that the global economy is on the mend.
FUNDAMENTALS
* U.S. crude futures were trading 1 cent lower at $96.63 per barrel at 0014 GMT, after rising nearly 0.5 percent in the previous session.
* Brent crude futures hit a 20-week high on Tuesday, helped by robust data from top economies and better than expected earnings announcements from Wall Street.
* The vast U.S. services sector expanded again last month, extending a three-year run of growth, while European business optimism hit an eight-month high, and China's services sector grow at its quickest pace in four months, providing evidence of a gradual rebound in the world economy.
* The European Central Bank is unlikely to contemplate an interest rate cut at Thursday's policy meeting despite the euro's sharp rise, and economists say the appreciation is more likely to delay discussion of an exit from the ECB's crisis policy.
* Iran has taken delivery of several new tankers from Chinese shipyards, giving it greater flexibility in maintaining oil exports in the face of Western sanctions.
Iran and world powers announced new talks on Tehran's nuclear programme on Feb. 26, but hopes of progress after Tuesday's announcement were tempered when an Iranian official said the West's goal in talking was to undermine the Islamic republic.
* Israel has deployed a third Iron Dome missile defence system near its northern borders with Syria and Lebanon, security sources said on Tuesday.
MARKETS NEWS
* U.S. stocks climbed on Tuesday, recovering a day after the market's biggest sell-off since November.
* The yen resumed its decline on Wednesday as investors piled back into the easy one-way trade as the market bet that a more dovish Bank of Japan governor will soon be installed to push through aggressive easing measures.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
1100 Germany Industrial orders
1200 U.S. Weekly mortgage market index
1530 U.S. EIA petroleum status report
(Reporting by Ramya Venugopal; Editing by Joseph Radford)