Oil prices fell on Thursday under pressure from a strong dollar and a surprise rise in inventories in the United States last week. At the same time, the price of gas broke new records.

The two benchmark contracts, however, remain close to their latest peaks, at 80.75 dollars a barrel for Brent reached on Tuesday and at 76.98 dollars for WTI hit at the start of the summer. Around 1:05 p.m. GMT (3:05 p.m. CET), the price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea for delivery in November, of which it is the last trading day, was down 1.09% compared to the previous day's close. , at $77.78 in London. In New York, the barrel of WTI for the same month lost 1.71% to 73.55 dollars. The strength of the dollar, which hit a one-year high on Thursday, is also weighing on prices as it makes crude more expensive for investors with other currencies. The crude market is also prone to profit taking after a strong start to the week. Note that the summit of the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their allies via the OPEC+ agreement next Monday is eagerly awaited by the market, even if few observers expect a reaction from them.

Gas, which, like oil, is going through a period of strong demand while supply is limited, in particular by a series of technical problems on LNG (liquefied natural gas) facilities, for its part experienced a new peak on Thursday. Its price reached shortly after 8:30 a.m. GMT (10:30 a.m. CET) Thursday 98.23 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) on the European reference market, the Dutch TTF (Title Transfer Facility), a first. This price increase is amplified in the United Kingdom, very dependent on gas to generate electricity and already plagued by a number of shortages, including gasoline.