IEA agrees to release of outstanding 100 million barrels of oil

Lallalit Srijandorn FXStreet

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said that member countries agreed to complete the release of 100 million barrels of oil that are still outstanding from an intervention in March to ease rising fuel prices, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

The agency said in a statement after a meeting of its governing board on Thursday that the countries will accelerate the distribution of the remaining volumes, including the release of 20 million barrels of diesel as soon as possible. They have so far tapped 330 million barrels out of 400 million initially pledged in March.

The US Energy Department stated that further actions “with a focus on diesel are under review and in progress.”

Market reaction

At the time of writing, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is up 2.08% on the day at $96.03.

WTI Oil FAQs

What is WTI Oil?

WTI Oil is a type of Crude Oil sold on international markets. The WTI stands for West Texas Intermediate, one of three major types including Brent and Dubai Crude. WTI is also referred to as “light” and “sweet” because of its relatively low gravity and sulfur content respectively. It is considered a high quality Oil that is easily refined. It is sourced in the United States and distributed via the Cushing hub, which is considered “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. It is a benchmark for the Oil market and WTI price is frequently quoted in the media.

What factors drive the price of WTI Oil?

Like all assets, supply and demand are the key drivers of WTI Oil price. As such, global growth can be a driver of increased demand and vice versa for weak global growth. Political instability, wars, and sanctions can disrupt supply and impact prices. The decisions of OPEC, a group of major Oil-producing countries, is another key driver of price. The value of the US Dollar influences the price of WTI Crude Oil, since Oil is predominantly traded in US Dollars, thus a weaker US Dollar can make Oil more affordable and vice versa.

How does inventory data impact the price of WTI Oil

The weekly Oil inventory reports published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Agency (EIA) impact the price of WTI Oil. Changes in inventories reflect fluctuating supply and demand. If the data shows a drop in inventories it can indicate increased demand, pushing up Oil price. Higher inventories can reflect increased supply, pushing down prices. API’s report is published every Tuesday and EIA’s the day after. Their results are usually similar, falling within 1% of each other 75% of the time. The EIA data is considered more reliable, since it is a government agency.

How does OPEC influence the price of WTI Oil?

OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a group of 12 Oil-producing nations who collectively decide production quotas for member countries at twice-yearly meetings. Their decisions often impact WTI Oil prices. When OPEC decides to lower quotas, it can tighten supply, pushing up Oil prices. When OPEC increases production, it has the opposite effect. OPEC+ refers to an expanded group that includes ten extra non-OPEC members, the most notable of which is Russia.

Author

Lallalit Srijandorn

FXStreet

Lallalit Srijandorn is a Parisian at heart. She has lived in France since 2019 and now becomes a digital entrepreneur based in Paris and Bangkok.

AUD/USD trims losses, still near 0.6900

AUD/USD remains well on the defensive, adding to Wednesday’s pullback and trading close to the key 0.6900 contention zone ahead of the opening bell in Asia. Discouraging prints from the Australian labour market report have weighed on the Aussie, which has remained unable to take advantage from the marked pullback in the Greenback.

USD/JPY slides back below 158.00 as USD reverses post-CPI gains

USD/JPY extends the previous day's pullback from a three-week high, attracting follow-through selling and sliding below 158.00 during Thursday's Asian session. Traders remain on high alert amid speculation that authorities will step in to prop up the Japanese Yen. The US Dollar, meanwhile, reverses Wednesday's hot CPI-led gains to April 2025 highs as US bond yields retreat on China bond-buying talk, further pressuring the pair.

Gold: Upside remains capped by $4,200

Gold regains the smile and leaves behind three consecutive days of losses, advancing to the $4,170 region per troy ounce on Thursday. The precious metal’s recovery comes amid the fresh offered stance in the Greenback and declining US Treasury yields while investors remain cautious ahead of the Fed’s Warsh speech on Friday.

Ethereum reclaims $2,400 as PPI hits 6.3% and yields fall

Ethereum (ETH) is back above $2,400 on Thursday, rebounding from a brief decline toward $2,340, which was sparked by an upside surprise in the US wholesale inflation report. The Producer Price Index (PPI) increased 1.3% monthly and 6.3% annually in September, far above expectations of 0.5% and 5.3%, respectively.

The Iran war will eventually end. Tariffs won't. Here's the problem

Two cost shocks are in the September Consumer Price Index (CPI), and they have different half-lives. Energy is up 20.4% on the year and accounts for about 1.3 points of the 3.7% headline, and that shock reverses when Oil does: Brent was back at its pre-war price on July 1 and above $100 again by the end of the month, after the ceasefire collapsed on July 8.

Everyone's dumping Gold after hot US inflation. Here's why $4,100 could be a floor, not a cliff

Gold (XAU/USD) is recovering from a sharp sell-off triggered by hotter-than-expected United States (US) inflation data released on Wednesday. The precious metal briefly plunged toward $4,073 as investors increased their bets on further Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate hikes before recovering as US Treasury yields and the US Dollar (USD) reversed their initial gains.