Commodities
Oil falls 1% on Fed rate cut caution and stocks build
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/oil-falls-1-on-fed-rate-cut-caution-and-stocksbuild_65df33dec7c78.jpeg)
![Oil falls 1% on Fed rate cut caution and stocks build](https://i-invdn-com.investing.com/trkd-images/LYNXNPEK1R01N_L.jpg)
© Reuters. Oil, miniatures of oil barrels and U.S. dollar banknote are seen in this illustration taken, June 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Files
By Paul Carsten
LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices pulled back on Wednesday as the prospect of delays to U.S. interest rate cuts and a jump in stocks that trounced expectations offset a boost from a potential extension to OPEC+ supply curbs.
futures fell 76 cents, or 0.91%, to $82.89 a barrel by 1227 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures (WTI) were down 83 cents, or 1.05%, at $78.04. Both benchmarks had fallen $1 in earlier trading.
Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda (NASDAQ:) Insights, attributed the price falls to profit-taking plus a combined response to a surge in U.S. crude stocks and continuing hopes of a Gaza ceasefire deal in coming days.
U.S. crude stocks showed an 8.43 million barrel build in the week ended Feb. 23, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute (API) figures on Tuesday.
That shattered expectations of a 1.8 million barrel build, according to analysts polled by Reuters on Monday.
Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman had signalled on Tuesday that she was in no rush to cut U.S. interest rates, particularly given continuing inflation risks. Higher-for-longer rates could dampen economic growth and suppress demand for oil.
Due Thursday is the January U.S. personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation and a key factor in rate decisions.
“The power of inflationary expectations must not be underestimated,” said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM in a note on Wednesday. “In case tomorrow’s U.S. PCE reading comes in above expectations, a temporary top might have been found” for oil.
Brent and WTI futures rose more than $1 a barrel on Tuesday after Reuters reported that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia (OPEC+) will consider extending voluntary oil output cuts into the second quarter.
Analysts at ANZ Research said that such a move by OPEC+ would be likely to tighten the market.
Russian authorities on Tuesday announced a six-month ban on gasoline exports from March 1 to compensate for rising demand from consumers and farmers and to allow for planned refinery maintenance.
Commodities
Oil set for third weekly decline, pressured by Gaza ceasefire hopes
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/oil-set-for-third-weekly-decline-pressured-by-gazaceasefire-hopes_66a3a365ad9b2.jpeg)
By Laila Kearney and Georgina McCartney
LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped on Friday and were on track for a third consecutive weekly decline, pressured by muted demand in China and hopes of a Gaza ceasefire deal that could ease Middle East tensions and accompanying supply concerns.
futures for September dipped 56 cents to $81.81 a barrel by 1250 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for September fell 40 cents to $77.88.
For the week, Brent is trading down almost 1% while WTI is down more than 2%.
Recent data, such as July 20 figures showing that China’s total fuel oil imports dropped 11% in the first half of 2024, have raised concern about the wider demand outlook in China.
In the Middle East, hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza have been gaining momentum.
A ceasefire has been the subject of negotiations for months, but U.S. officials believe the parties are closer than ever to an agreement for a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release by Hamas of female, sick, elderly and wounded hostages.
Oil price declines were capped, however, by threats to production from Canadian wildfires, a large stocks draw and continued hopes of a September cut to U.S. interest rates after strong economic data, said PVM oil analyst Tamas Varga.
Commodities
Oil prices fall; set for weekly losses on demand concerns
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/oil-prices-fall-set-for-weekly-losses-on-demandconcerns_66a3a3604e041.jpeg)
Investing.com– Oil prices fell Friday, on course for a third consecutive losing week as concerns over sluggish demand conditions in Asia weighed.
At 09:00 ET (13:00 GMT), fell 0.9% to $81.62 a barrel, and dropped 0.8% to $77.66 a barrel.
Crude set for third straight week of losses
Both benchmarks are on course for another losing week, the third in succession, with down just under 1% and WTI nearly 3% lower.
Persistent concerns over slowing growth and demand in top importer China have been the dominant factor, part triggered by GDP data from last week, which showed the Chinese economy grew less than expected in the second quarter.
Additionally, more data this week showed the country’s apparent oil demand fell 8.1% to 13.66 million barrels per day in June.
Beijing unexpectedly cut a swathe of lending rates this week, further trying to loosen monetary policy amid growing concerns over sluggish growth.
Apart from China, uncertainty over Japan also grew following middling , while weak activity data in Europe also pointed to economic woes.
Gaza ceasefire in focus
Also weighing on the crude market have been increasing hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza.
The leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Canada called for an immediate ceasefire in a joint statement on Friday, while U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help efforts at reaching a deal, striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden.
A ceasefire has been talked about for months, but if it was to occur then some of the risk premium could be removed from the market.
Strong US GDP, rate cut hopes offer some support
On the flip side, data, released on Thursday, showed that the U.S. economy grew more than expected in the second quarter, despite pressure from high rates and relatively sticky inflation.
The reading drove up hopes that the world’s biggest fuel consumer was headed for a “soft landing,” where economic growth remained steady while inflation eased.
These hopes were also lifted by the data showing overall U.S. inflation cooled as expected in June.
According to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the (PCE) price index slipped to 2.5% in June, from 2.6% the prior month. .
Stripping out volatile items like food and fuel, the year-on-year “core” gauge, widely known as the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation, remained at 2.6%, only marginally above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
This sparked increased optimism over a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September.
Data showing steady drawdowns in U.S. also offered some positive cues to oil markets, as fuel demand in the country remained robust amid the travel-heavy summer season.
(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)
Commodities
Canadian wildfire reaches Jasper, firefighters battle to protect oil pipeline
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/canadian-wildfire-reaches-jasper-firefighters-battle-toprotect-oil-pipeline_66a251efe5d72.jpeg)
(Reuters) -A wildfire reached the Canadian town of Jasper, Alberta on Wednesday, one of hundreds ravaging the western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, as firefighters battled to save key facilities such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline, authorities said.
Wildfires burning uncontrolled across the region include 433 in British Columbia and 176 in Alberta, more than a dozen of them in the area of Fort McMurray, an oil sands hub.
The pipeline, which can carry 890,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from Edmonton to Vancouver, runs through a national park in the Canadian Rockies near the picturesque tourist town, from which about 25,000 people were forced to evacuate on Tuesday.
“Firefighters … are working to save as many structures as possible and protect critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant, communications facilities, the Trans Mountain Pipeline,” Parks Canada said in a post on Facebook (NASDAQ:).
The pipeline operator did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, but said earlier it was safely operating the pipeline and had deployed sprinkler protection as a preventive measure.
In the day’s last update, Jasper National Park said it could not report on the extent of damage to specific locations or neighbourhoods, and that it would provide further updates on Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government approved Alberta’s request for federal assistance.
“We’re deploying Canadian Armed Forces resources, evacuations support, and more emergency wildfire resources to the province immediately – and we’re coordinating firefighting and airlift assistance. Alberta, we’re with you.”
The town, and the park, which draws more than two million tourists a year, were evacuated on Monday night, at a time when officials estimated there were 15,000 visitors in the park.
Deteriorating air quality forced firefighters and others lacking breathing equipment to evacuate to the town of Hinton, about 100 km (62 miles) away, park authorities said on Facebook on Wednesday evening.
Officials of Parks Canada earlier said they expected rain to arrive overnight.
- Forex2 years ago
Forex Today: the dollar is gaining strength amid gloomy sentiment at the start of the Fed’s week
- Forex2 years ago
How is the Australian dollar doing today?
- Forex2 years ago
Unbiased review of Pocket Option broker
- Forex2 years ago
Dollar to pound sterling exchange rate today: Pound plummeted to its lowest since 1985
- Cryptocurrency2 years ago
What happened in the crypto market – current events today
- World2 years ago
Why are modern video games an art form?
- Stock Markets2 years ago
Morgan Stanley: bear market rally to continue
- Economy2 years ago
Crude oil tankers double in price due to EU anti-Russian sanctions