Commodities
Oil at $116 per barrel: forecast and cause of rising oil prices
The price of oil may rise to $115-116 per barrel. The ambitious plans of G7 may be broken because of the difference of interests. The day before, oil prices grew amid moderately harsh rhetoric from the U.S. Federal Reserve and bullish statistics from the country’s Energy Department. According to London’s ICE, Brent crude was at $107.8 at the time of writing. Who benefits from rising oil prices?
Cause of rising oil prices
Commercial oil inventories in the US fell by 4.5 mln barrels, while stocks in Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) decreased by 5.6 mln barrels. This happened despite an increase in production by 200,000 bpd to 12.1 mln bpd. The reason was a surge in exports: black gold shipments to foreign markets increased by 1.5 million bpd, of which a little more than half were crude oil.
There was a trend last week which indicated weak gasoline demand, but it was not confirmed in the latest data. Gasoline inventories fell by 3.3 million barrels. Consumption of the resource jumped 0.7 million bpd to 9.2 million bpd, and RBOB futures have added 6% since the beginning of the week.
Total petroleum product shipments fell 1 million bpd, to 20 million bpd, due to declines in the propane/propylene categories (a seasonal factor) and other (regression to the average after the spike). Overall, demand remains strong, which is helping oil prices.
Also, the day before, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised the benchmark rate by 0.75 p.p., to 2.5%, which was expected. The regulator expects the rate to be at the level of 3-3.5% by the end of the year. Markets were expecting more hikes, so equities and commodities traded positive after the meeting. The lower the interest rates, the lower the risks of recession and oil demand destruction.
The next meeting of the U.S. regulator will be held on September 20-21. Until then, the market will be keeping an eye on inflation, employment, and business activity indicators. How do rising oil prices affect inflation? It is speeding it up considerably.
The Fed’s decision was received positively, as there were some fears of a 100 bps rate hike, as the Head of The Regulator, Jerome Powell, said at a press conference that if necessary, the Fed would not hesitate to raise the rate even higher. but given the current data, it was considered advisable to raise it a little less.
The Fed’s rate is now at a long-term neutral level that neither accelerates nor slows economic growth. However, U.S. inflation remains at record levels since the 1980s – the June CPI reached 9.1% and the regulator intends to bring it down to 2%. Therefore, the Fed will continue to raise rates and reduce the balance sheet – since September, the volume of QT on the plan to double and reach $95 billion per month.
The market was positive about the absence of a 100bp rate hike, the Fed’s admission that the U.S. economy is slowing, and Powell’s statement that the scope of the next rate hikes could be reduced if inflation slows.
The regulator will have to continue to go further into territory where interest rates and financial conditions are leading to a slowdown in economic growth. After all, the rising oil prices effect on the economy is hard to overstate.
(Reuters) – Citi on Wednesday raised its oil price outlook for 2025 due to geopolitical risks centred on Russia and Iran, but noted prices were likely to ease through the second half of the year.
“The oil outlook could see heightened, sustained geopolitical risks in Iran/Russia-Ukraine potentially wipe out the 2025 oil balance surplus, but the Trump administration appears intent on dealmaking,” the bank said in a note.
Citi expects to average $67 a barrel in 2025, up from a previous forecast of $62. It also said it was lifting its average WTI crude forecast to $63/bbl, without giving its former view.
It added that it was revising up its quarterly Brent forecasts to $75/bbl in the first quarter, $68/bbl in the second, $63/bbl in the third, and $60/bbl in the fourth, also without specifying its previous expectations.
The Biden administration on Jan. 10 sanctioned more than 100 tankers and two Russian oil producers, leading to a scramble by top buyers China and India for prompt oil cargoes and a global rush for ship supply as dealers of Russian and Iranian oil sought unsanctioned tankers.
U.S. President Donald Trump has since laid out a sweeping plan to maximise oil and gas production, including declaring a national energy emergency to speed up permitting, rolling back environmental protections, and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate pact.
Citi said the timing and nature of President Trump’s actions regarding Iran and Russia could be defining features of the oil market and pricing during 2025. It forecast a surplus of 0.8 million barrels per day for the year.
By Arunima Kumar
(Reuters) -Oil prices held steady on Wednesday, with traders closely watching President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and the potential impact of the national energy emergency he declared on his first day in office.
futures inched 4 cents higher, or 0.05%, to $79.33 per barrel at 1246 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures edged 2 cents lower, or 0.03%, to $75.81.
“As more details emerge regarding energy production and trade agreements, traders will assess the balance between economic growth, energy security, and policy risks,” said Dilin Wu, research strategist at Pepperstone.
Trump said late on Tuesday that his administration was discussing imposing a 10% tariff on goods imported from China on Feb. 1, the same day that he previously said Mexico and Canada could face levies of around 25%.
He also vowed duties on European imports, without providing further detail.
“The oil market’s attention is slowly turning away from U.S. sanctions against Russia towards President Trump’s potential trade policy,” said ING analysts, adding that the energy complex has come under pressure with the growing threat of tariffs.
The U.S. president had said his administration would “probably” stop buying oil from Venezuela, among the top suppliers of oil to the country.
Trump laid out a sweeping plan to maximise domestic oil and gas production, including declaring a national energy emergency to speed permitting, rolling back environmental protections, and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate pact.
Trump’s policy is unlikely to spur near-term energy investment or change U.S. production growth, analysts at Morgan Stanley (NYSE:) wrote in a note, adding that it could, however, moderate potential erosion of refined product demand.
Meanwhile, a rare winter storm churned across the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, North Dakota’s oil production was estimated to be down by between 130,000 and 160,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to extreme cold weather and related operational challenges, the state’s pipeline authority said on Tuesday.
By Enes Tunagur
LONDON (Reuters) – Oil prices fell on Tuesday as investors assessed U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to apply new tariffs later than expected while boosting oil and gas production in the United States.
futures were down $1.42, or 1.77%, to $78.73 per barrel at 1116 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down by $1.97, or 2.53%, at $75.91. There was no settlement in the U.S. market on Monday due to a public holiday.
Pressuring prices on Tuesday was a stronger U.S. dollar, as its strengthening makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.
“The current weakness is most probably Trump and dollar-related,” said PVM analyst Tamas Varga.
The dollar rebounded after Trump’s comments on imposing tariffs against Mexico and Canada, Varga added, noting that the dollar’s strength is negatively impacting oil prices.
Trump said he was thinking of imposing 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico from Feb. 1, rather than on his first day in office as previously promised.
“The initial sense of relief that trade measures weren’t an immediate focus on Trump’s ‘Day 1’ was quickly offset by reports of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada as early as February, which saw risk sentiments turn,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.
Trump did not impose any sweeping new trade measures right after his inauguration on Monday, but told federal agencies to investigate unfair trade practices by other countries.
The U.S. president also said his administration would “probably” stop buying oil from Venezuela. The U.S. is the second-biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil after China.
Trump also promised to refill strategic reserves, a move that could be bullish for oil prices by boosting demand for oil.
Also weighing on prices on Tuesday was the potential end to the shipping disruption in the Red Sea. Yemen’s Houthis on Monday said they will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israel-linked ships provided the Gaza ceasefire is fully implemented.
“Reopening of the Suez Canal will create a short-term abundance of supply given the shorter journey times, and that may also weigh on prices in the short term,” said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen.
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