|

Middle East tensions drive the oil market upside – TDS

Oil market upside was being driven by supply side risk tied to boiling Middle East tensions, and the rally was extended via Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) buying flows, TDS Senior Commodity Strategist Ryan McKay notes.

CTAs are set to sell 10% of their max WTI crude position

"Oil market upside was being driven by supply side risk tied to boiling Middle East tensions, and the rally was extended via CTA buying flows."

"However, we highlight that the risk premia associated with Middle East tensions tends to quickly erode without an escalation to a broader conflict, and with systematic flows hitting elevated long levels, the lack of persistent buying is likely to soon weigh on the market. Indeed, CTAs are set to sell roughly 10% of their max WTI crude position, with the $80/bbl region serving as additional key selling levels."

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

More from FXStreet Insights Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD: Breakdown below trading range support near 1.1770 comes into play

The EUR/USD pair opens with a bearish gap at the start of a new week as the US-Iran war-led global flight to safety boosts the US Dollar. Spot prices, however, lack follow-through selling and manage to hold above mid-1.1700s during the Asian session.

GBP/USD targets 1.3500 barrier near moving averages

GBP/USD rebounds from the daily losses, trading around 1.3450 during the Asian hours on Monday. The technical analysis of the daily chart indicates an ongoing bearish bias, as the pair trades within a descending channel pattern.

Gold retreats from $5,400; still up over 1% amid Middle East tensions

Gold retreats from the $5,400 neighborhood, or its highest level since late January, touched in the Asian session on Monday, though it manages to hold above the $5,300 round figure. The bright metal opened with a bullish gap of about $17 and rallied toward the $5,400 level as Asian traders hit their desks and reacted negatively to the weekend news of the US and Israel attacks on Iran, rushing for cover in Gold.

Top Crypto Losers: Tezos, Toncoin, and Polkadot at crucial levels amid US-Israel strike on Iran

Altcoins such as Tezos, Toncoin, and Polkadot rank among the worst hit cryptocurrencies over the last 24 hours amid the US and Israel's attack on Iran. Tezos and Toncoin are down to crucial support levels while Polkadot remains near a crucial resistance trendline, showcasing underlying strength.

The market is paying for insurance, not apocalypse

As expected, this morning felt less like a Monday market open and more like a fire drill. Futures screens flickered red. S&P contracts down almost 1%. Nasdaq off 1.2%. Brent leaped 13% through $80. Gold rose 1.6% toward $5350 before paring some gains. The dollar is strutting mildly. The Swiss franc is quietly doing what it always does in a storm, catching some safe-haven flows.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.