Oil prices edge up as investors eye US election fallout

By Colleen Howe and Gabrielle Ng

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices ticked up on Thursday following a sell-off triggered by the U.S. presidential election, as risks to oil supply from a Trump presidency and a hurricane building in the Gulf Coast outweighed a stronger dollar and lower crude imports in top importer China.

Brent crude oil futures were up 29 cents, or 0.39%, at $75.21 per barrel by 0700 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 18 cents or 0.25% to $71.87.

Concerns around a Trump presidency squeezing oil supply from Iran and Venezuela as well as an approaching storm “more than offset the post-election impact of a stronger U.S. dollar and … higher-than-expected U.S. inventories,” Tony Sycamore, a market analyst with IG, wrote in a note.

Trump’s election had initially triggered a sell-off that pushed oil prices down by more than $2 as the U.S. dollar rose to its highest level since September 2022. But the front-month contracts pared losses to settle down 61 cents for Brent and 30 cents for WTI by the end of the Wednesday session.

“Historically, Trump’s policies have been pro-business, which likely supports overall economic growth and increases demand for fuel. However, any interference in the Fed’s easing policies could lead to further challenges for the oil market,” said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova.

“With the bumper surge in the dollar hovering at near 4-month highs, oil seems to be talking massive headwinds in the aftermath of the U.S. election results.”

The upside to oil markets may be limited to the short to medium term as OPEC is expected to increase supply capacity in January, while historical trends do not suggest sanctions will prevent India and China from continuing to purchase oil from Russia or Iran, Sachdeva said.

Crude oil imports in China, the world’s largest crude importer, fell 9% in October, posting a sixth consecutive monthly year-on-year decline as a plant closure at a state oil refinery adds to weaker demand from independent refiners, data showed on Thursday.

Donald Trump is expected to reimpose his “maximum pressure policy” of sanctions on Iranian oil. That could cut supply by as much as 1 million barrels per day, according to an Energy Aspect estimate.

Trump in his first term had also put in place harsher sanctions on Venezuelan oil, measures that were briefly rolled back by the Biden administration but later reinstated.

In North America, Hurricane Rafael intensified into a category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, and about 17% of crude oil production or 304,418 barrels per day in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico had been shut in response, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said.

U.S. crude inventories rose by 2.1 million barrels to 427.7 million barrels in the week ending on Nov. 1, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, compared with expectations for a 1.1 million-barrel rise. [EIA/S]

This post is originally published on INVESTING.

  • Related Posts

    Oil prices settle up 1% at 2-week high as Ukraine war intensifies

    By Scott DiSavino (Reuters) -Oil prices climbed about 1% to a two-week high on Friday as the intensifying war in Ukraine this week boosted the market’s geopolitical risk premium. Brent…

    COP29 climate summit overruns as $250 billion draft deal stalls

    By Valerie Volcovici and Gloria Dickie BAKU (Reuters) -The COP29 climate summit ran into overtime on Friday, after a draft deal that proposed developed nations take the lead in providing…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Oil prices settle up 1% at 2-week high as Ukraine war intensifies

    • November 22, 2024
    Oil prices settle up 1% at 2-week high as Ukraine war intensifies

    COP29 climate summit overruns as $250 billion draft deal stalls

    • November 22, 2024
    COP29 climate summit overruns as $250 billion draft deal stalls

    SEC Fines Webull, Two Broker-Dealers for Compliance Failures

    • November 22, 2024
    SEC Fines Webull, Two Broker-Dealers for Compliance Failures

    SEC Fines Webull, Two Brokers-Dealers for Compliance Failures

    • November 22, 2024
    SEC Fines Webull, Two Brokers-Dealers for Compliance Failures

    Oil prices climb 1% to two-week high as Ukraine war intensifies

    • November 22, 2024
    Oil prices climb 1% to two-week high as Ukraine war intensifies

    Oil prices edge up to 2-week high as Ukraine war intensifies

    • November 22, 2024
    Oil prices edge up to 2-week high as Ukraine war intensifies