Commodities
Oil prices heading for sharp weekly losses on interest rate, growth worries
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/oil-prices-heading-for-sharp-weekly-losses-on-interest-rategrowth-worries_665094e47f546.jpeg)
Investing.com– Oil prices drifted lower Friday, and were headed for steep weekly losses as concerns over sticky inflation and high interest rates spurred doubts that demand will remain robust this year.
At 08:35 ET (12:35 GMT), fell 0.4% to $81.00 a barrel, while fell 0.4% to $76.59 a barrel.
Oil heads for weekly losses as rate jitters weigh
Both contracts were set to lose around 4% this week, with Brent at its weakest level in two months and WTI at a three-month low. Pressure has come chiefly from concerns over sticky U.S. inflation and the potential for interest rates remaining elevated for a long time.
A string of signals from the Federal Reserve reflected increased anxiety among policymakers that inflation will be slow in reaching the central bank’s 2% annual target – a scenario that is expected to push the central bank into keeping rates high.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs have pushed back when they expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates this year, citing comments from central bank officials this week calling for more evidence that inflation in the world’s largest economy is sustainably cooling down to their 2% target.
In a note to clients on Friday, the Goldman Sachs analysts said they now do not expect the Fed to roll out a rate cut until September. They had previously estimated that the reduction — which would be the first since the Fed embarked on a steep run of policy tightening in 2022 — would come in July.
The tool now shows a nearly equal probability of a cut or a hold in September.
OPEC+ meeting in focus for more supply cues
Markets were now looking to a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+), which is set for the start of June.
Focus will be largely on whether the cartel will extend voluntary production cuts totalling about 2.2 million barrels per day past an end-June deadline.
These voluntary cuts from the cartel of major producers come on top of earlier reductions of 3.66 million barrels per day that were announced in various steps since late 2022 and which are valid until the end of 2024.
Total pledged cuts therefore currently amount to 5.86 million barrels per day, equal to about 5.7% of daily world demand.
But just how tight markets will be this year remains uncertain, especially as production remained at record highs.
Some easing tensions in the Middle East also pointed to fewer supply disruptions for crude, while U.S. oil demand is expected to pick up in the coming weeks with the travel-heavy summer season. The Memorial Day weekend holiday usually marks the beginning of the season, with gasoline demand already seen picking up in the world’s biggest fuel consumer.
(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)
Commodities
Oil prices settle lower after weak August jobs report adds to demand concerns
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/oil-prices-settle-lower-after-weak-august-jobs-report-addsto-demand-concerns_66dc53fb8f210.jpeg)
Investing.com — Oil prices settled lower Friday, ending the week with a loss as weaker U.S. nonfarm payrolls stoked concerns about an economic-led slowdown in crude demand.
At 2:30 p.m. ET (1430 GMT), the futures (WTI) traded fell 2.1% to settle at $67.67 a barrel, while contract fell 2.2% to $71.06 per barrel.
U.S. economic slowdown worries resurface after weak jobs report
The US economy added fewer jobs than anticipated in August, but rose from a sharply revised July figure, according to Labor Department data that could factor into the Federal Reserve’s next policy decisions.
Nonfarm payrolls came in at 142,000 last month, up from a downwardly-revised mark of 89,000 in July. Economists had called for a reading of 164,000, up from the initial July mark of 114,000.
Following the release, bets that the Fed will introduce a deeper 50 basis-point rate cut — rather than a shallower 25 basis-point reduction — increased.
Concerns about the demand come just a day after OPEC+ said it had agreed to postpone a planned increase in oil production for October and November.
U.S., Europe working on Iran sanctions
Geopolitical tensions ratcheted up on Friday after the U.S. and Europe they were working on sanctions to impose on Iran after the Tehran sent missiles to Russia.
The U.S. had previously warned Iran about transferring missiles to Russia, saying it would represent a major escalation in Iran’s support of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Commodities
Goldman Sachs expects OPEC+ production increases to start in December
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/goldman-sachs-expects-opec-production-increases-to-start-indecember_66dc53f61803f.jpeg)
(Reuters) – Goldman Sachs adjusted its expectations for OPEC+ oil production saying it now expects three months of production increases starting from December instead of October, the bank said in a note on Friday.
OPEC+ has agreed to delay a planned oil output increase for October and November, the producers group said on Thursday after crude prices hit their lowest in nine months, adding it could further pause or reverse the hikes if needed.
However Goldman Sachs maintained its range of $70-85 per barrel and a December 2025 Brent forecast at $74 per barrel.
The investment bank expects the effects of a modest reduction in OPEC+ supply in the upcoming months to be counterbalanced by easing effects from the current softness in China’s demand and faster-than-expected recovery of Libya’s supply.
“We still see the risks to our $70-85 range as skewed to the downside given high spare capacity, and downside risks to demand from weakness in China and potential trade tensions,” Goldman Sachs said.
Brent crude futures were down $1.63, or 2.24%, to $71.06 a barrel on Friday, their lowest level since December 2021. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.48 on Friday, or 2.14%, to $67.67, their lowest since June 2023. [O/R]
Commodities
Citi, Bank of America see oil prices potentially going to $60
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/citi-bank-of-america-see-oil-prices-potentially-going-to60_66db0275685ed.jpeg)
Investing.com — Strategists at Citi Research said oil prices could decline to around $60 per barrel by 2025, citing a significant market surplus as the primary driver.
While recent supply disruptions in Libya and a delayed production cut unwinding by OPEC+ have offered short-term support for Brent prices in the $70-72 range, Citi views this as temporary.
“At the time of writing, markets have not reacted to the OPEC+ decision, with Brent around flat to the 4 September close. Still, the Libyan situation could take months rather than a week to resolve, strategists wrote.
They highlight the likelihood of a strong market surplus emerging next year, pushing prices lower.
“We recommend selling on a bounce toward ~$80 Brent, as we look ahead to moves down to the $60 range in 2025 as a sizeable market surplus emerges,” the note states.
OPEC+ has delayed the start of its planned production cut unwind from October 2024 to December 2024, with the process now set to conclude by the end of 2025. This decision comes in response to recent market weakness and price declines, despite ongoing disruptions to Libyan oil supplies and broader economic concerns in the U.S. and China.
Separately, Bank of America’s Commodities Research team has revised down its price forecast to $75 per barrel for the second half of 2024, down from nearly $90, and for 2025, reduced from $80.
The team cites concerns about growing global oil inventories despite assuming OPEC+ will delay planned production increases. They note that weaker demand growth, combined with record OPEC+ spare capacity exceeding 5 million barrels per day, has dimmed the outlook for oil prices.
“In effect, we now see Brent oil prices moving from the top toward the middle of our unchanged $60-80/bbl medium-term range faster than previously warned,” BofA strategists said. This surplus in capacity, along with slower demand, also reduces the risk of price spikes from potential geopolitical disruptions.
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