SINGAPORE, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped by more than US$1 on Tuesday, underpinned by optimism over Covid-19 vaccine rollouts and lower output as US supplies were slow to return after a deep freeze in Texas shut in crude production last week.
Shale oil producers in the southern United States could take at least two weeks to restart the more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude output that shut down because of cold weather, as frozen pipes and power supply interruptions slow their recovery, sources said.
Brent crude was up $1.10, or 1.7%, at $66.34 a barrel by 0437 GMT, after earlier hitting a high of $66.79. U.S. crude rose 92 cents, or 1.5%, to $62.62 a barrel, having reached a session high of $63. Both benchmarks have risen more than 2% on Tuesday after climbing nearly 4% in the previous session.