Commodities
Oil prices edge lower ahead of US inflation data; OPEC maintains forecasts
Investing.com – Oil prices edged slightly lower Tuesday, handing back some of the previous session’s gains in cautious trade ahead of key U.S. inflation data, while OPEC+ kept its demand and supply forecasts unchanged.
AT 08:05 ET (12:05 GMT), fell 0.3% to $83.11 a barrel, while fell 0.4% to $78.84 a barrel.
Both contracts rose more than 1% each on Monday.
Trading ranges have been limited Tuesday due to caution ahead of key U.S. inflation data, which is likely to factor into the outlook for interest rates in the U.S. , the world’s largest consumer of energy
China outlines fiscal stimulus plans
There had been a positive tone on Monday after China’s finance ministry said that it plans to start raising 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion) through a long-awaited bond issuance this week.
The issuance is aimed chiefly to stimulate key aspects of China’s sluggish economy, and will entail the issuance of special government bonds with tenors of 20 to 50 years.
Chinese ministers said the bonds will be used to shore up sluggish economic growth, and will be deployed towards key sectors including infrastructure.
While the issuance was largely telegraphed by Chinese authorities, its confirmation still factored into some optimism over improving economic conditions in the world’s biggest oil importer.
The bond issuance came after mixed inflation readings over the weekend raised some concerns over a sustained economic recovery in China. While consumer inflation rose, producer inflation shrank for a 19th consecutive month.
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Canadian wildfires could cause potential supply disruptions
Additionally, major wildfires spread across Western Canada, presenting the potential for disruptions in Canadian oil and gas supplies, especially as they neared a key oil hub.
Residents of Fort McMurray, Alberta, were put on alert as the province saw two “extreme” wildfires. The city is the closest settlement to Canada’s biggest oil-sands operations, and had in 2016 suffered severe damage from wildfires.
Still, rain in the region helped decrease the immediate threat from the fires, although residents were still kept on alert.
Any worsening in the wildfires present the prospect of supply disruptions in Canada’s massive oil and gas industry, which is a key part of North American crude markets.
Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season, seen in 2023, knocked out as much as 300,000 barrels of production a day. In 2016, damage to Fort McMurray had put about 1 million barrels per day out of commission.
Uncertainty over OPEC meeting
What the group of top producers, known as OPEC+, decides to do with supply at its next meeting at the beginning of June is also causing uncertainty within the crude markets.
Iraq’s oil minister, Hayyan Abdul Ghani, is reported to have said over the weekend that his country would honour voluntary output cuts made by OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other non-OPEC producers, at its upcoming meeting on June 1.
That reversed course from his Saturday comments that Iraq had made enough voluntary reductions and would not agree to any new output cuts.
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“The lack of price direction more recently is no surprise given the uncertainty over what OPEC+ members may do with their additional voluntary supply cuts,” analysts at ING said, in a note.
OPEC, earlier Tuesday, maintained its global oil supply and demand forecasts unchanged for 2024 and 2025 in its , leaving the call on OPEC+ crude at 43.2 million barrels a day this year, rising to 44 million barrels per day in 2025.
(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)
Commodities
Oil prices flat as investors await US inventory data
LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices were broadly flat on Thursday as investors waited on developments in the Middle East, the release of official U.S. oil inventory data and details on China’s stimulus plans.
futures were up 25 cents to $74.47 a barrel at 0834 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $70.64 a barrel, also up 25 cents.
Both benchmarks settled down on Wednesday, closing at their lowest levels since Oct. 2 for a second day in a row, after OPEC and the International Energy Agency cut demand forecasts for 2024 and 2025.
Prices have also fallen as fears eased that a retaliatory attack by Israel on Iran for the latter’s Oct. 1 missile strike could disrupt oil supplies, though uncertainty remains over how the conflict in the Middle East will develop.
“The country’s forthcoming retaliatory measures against Iran are still not clear,” said John Evans of oil broker PVM.
He added that the Middle East “will certainly provide enough reason to move oil prices again soon enough and investors today will also be preoccupied with an abundance of financial data”.
Among that data are U.S. oil inventories. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) will release its official government data at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT).
The American Petroleum Institute’s Wednesday figures showed crude and fuel stocks fell last week, market sources said, against expectations of a build-up in crude stockpiles. [EIA/S]
“Any signs of weak demand in EIA’s weekly inventory report could put further downward pressure on oil prices,” ANZ analysts said.
PVM’s Evans also cited Thursday’s U.S. jobless claims data at 8.30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) and a rate decision from the European Central Bank.
That decision may support oil prices if the bank goes ahead with lowering interest rates again, the first back-to-back rate cut in 13 years, as it shifts focus from cooling inflation to protecting economic growth.
Investors are also waiting for further details from Beijing on broad plans announced on Oct. 12 to revive its ailing economy, including efforts to shore up its ailing property market.
Commodities
Is gold a safer investment than bonds? BofA answers
Investing.com — Bank of America analysts argued in a note Thursday that gold is emerging as a more attractive safe-haven asset than government bonds, driven by fiscal concerns and global economic dynamics.
While falling real interest rates typically boost gold prices, BofA notes that “higher rates do not necessarily put pressure on gold,” signaling a shift in how the yellow metal reacts to macroeconomic conditions.
One of the key drivers, according to BofA, is growing fiscal pressure. The U.S. national debt is expected to reach unprecedented levels in the next three years, and interest payments on this debt are likely to increase as a share of GDP.
As BofA explains, “This makes gold an attractive asset,” prompting them to reaffirm their bullish target of $3,000 per ounce.
BofA also highlights that both leading U.S. presidential candidates—Kamala Harris and Donald Trump—show little inclination toward fiscal restraint.
In fact, “policymakers strongly favor fiscal expansion” globally, the bank points out.
Future commitments, including climate initiatives, defense spending, and demographic challenges, could raise spending by as much as 7-8% of GDP annually by 2030, said the bank, citing IMF estimates.
If markets struggle to absorb the increasing debt issuance, volatility could rise, further supporting demand for gold. “Central banks in particular could further diversify their currency reserves,” BofA notes, adding that gold holdings by central banks have grown from 3% to 10% of total reserves over the past decade.
Western investors have also stepped back into the gold market in recent months. Although China’s gold imports fell during summer amid stimulus efforts, non-monetary gold demand from Western participants has increased.
However, BofA warns that short-term gains may be limited as markets factor in “a no-landing scenario for the U.S. and a slower pace of rate cuts,” which could cap gold’s near-term upside.
“There is also a risk that gold may give back some of the recent gains, although we ultimately see prices supported at $2,000/oz,” BofA concluded.
Commodities
Oil prices: Bank of America sees ‘more downside to $70 than upside’
Investing.com — Bank of America (BofA) is forecasting more downside risk than upside to oil prices, with likely settling around $70 per barrel.
In a Thursday note, the bank’s commodities team shared a cautious view on oil due to several factors influencing the market, including OPEC’s supply dynamics and non-OPEC production growth.
“Our base case is $70/bbl (which we think is priced in), but we see more downside oil price risk than upside (OPEC spare capacity could easily cover most scenarios of barrels threatened by wider Middle East conflict),” strategists noted.
A key driver of this risk is the potential for OPEC to bring back an additional 2 million barrels per day to the market, on top of expected non-OPEC supply growth of 1.6 million barrels per day. BofA forecasts that global demand for oil is projected to grow by only 1 million barrels per day next year.
“Our call on OPEC is a very slow return of the ~2mbd – and this suggests ~6-7% of demand as OPEC spare capacity, according to energy data firm Woodmac,” the note continues.
“This ceded share has been higher in the past, but generally only in short, surprise demand downturns, not as a norm. To us, this suggests limited upside to our $70 Brent price and potential downside should OPEC regain share.”
In the current environment, BofA strategists said they prefer gas-linked stocks, particularly midstream companies. They note that while there is currently an oversupply of gas, the medium-term prospects are improving, with positive catalysts expected in 2025 as data center growth and liquefied (LNG) demand start to accelerate.
The team believes the market is underestimating the free cash flow (FCF) potential of their preferred companies, some of which could see payouts increase by 50% by 2027.
Cheniere Energy (NYSE:) remains BofA’s top Buy-rated pick, with the bank predicting FCF inflection towards more than $20 per share in the next three years.
Other Buy-rated energy names include Kinder Morgan (NYSE:), Williams Companies (NYSE:), and Chevron (NYSE:), among others.
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