Oil: Geopolitics and disruptions fuel Oil rally – ING

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

Oil prices rallied for a third consecutive day yesterday, with ICE Brent trading close to US$64/bbl. The prompt ICE Brent timepsread has also strengthened through January amid growing supply risks, ING's commodity experts Ewa Manthey and Warren Patterson note.

Iran unrest and Kazakh outages lift oil prices

"The price increase comes amid intensifying protests in Iran, raising the possibility of some form of intervention by the US. There have been suggestions of the potential for US military action. Up until now, President Trump has said the US will impose a 25% tariff on any country “doing business” with Iran. China is a key buyer of Iranian Oil. Whether this secondary tariff threat is sufficient to push China away from Iranian Oil remains to be seen."

"Previously, the threat of secondary tariffs from buying Venezuelan and Russian Oil was not enough to persuade China to halt purchases of Oil from these countries. In addition, with the US and China having come to a trade truce, we question whether the US would want to rock the boat once again with additional tariffs on China."

"Exports of Kazakh Oil from the CPC terminal will come under significant pressure this month. Shipments are expected to come in between 800-900k b/d, around 45% below initial expectations, according to Bloomberg. The drop is due to maintenance and damage caused by Ukrainian drones, while weather has also been an issue."

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

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.

GBP/USD stays slightly offered below 1.3600

Following an initial drop to fresh six-day lows, GBP/USD now picks up some updside traction and trades in levels just shy of the 1.3600 barrier on Thursday. The generalised cautious tone among market participants continue to underpin the Greenback ahead of Friday’s data releases and the Fed Warsh’s speech.

EUR/USD struggles for direction around 1.1650

EUR/USD gyrates around the 1.1650 region amid the absence of clear direction and following an earlier drop to the 1.630 area. The pair’s vacillating mood comes in response to the equally irresolute price action in the US Dollar as investors warm up for the release of the NFP Annual Revision and the speech by the Fed’s Warsh at the Jackson Hole Symposium, both events due on Friday.

Gold recovers $4,600, buyers unwilling to give up

Gold adds to Wednesday’s pullback, although it manages to pick up some pace and come closer to the $4,600 mark per troy ounce on Thursday. In the meantime, the yellow metal remains on the back foot despite the widespread caution and the lack of clear direction of the US Dollar.

Ripple rebounds as whales accumulate 460 million XRP

Ripple (XRP) holds above $1.40 support on Wednesday, as bulls return to take control following three consecutive days of declines. The remittance token’s upside appears capped at $1.50 while extended gains would face additional resistance at $1.70. A break above $2.00 would mark a potential regime shift from bearish to bullish.

Diesel’s record $100 warning: The oil shock hiding in plain sight

The Oil market may look calmer than it did a few months ago, but diesel is sending a very different message. The US diesel crack spread, the premium of ultra-low sulphur diesel futures over WTI, recently surged above $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record of just over $102.00.

Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole dilemma: Say too much, too little, or just enough

Kevin Warsh is preparing to deliver his first Jackson Hole speech as Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair on Friday, and expectations extend well beyond whether interest rates will be raised or left unchanged in September.