WTI Crude Oil grinding it out just below $85

WTI is seeing some back-and-forth for Friday.
US Crude Oil barrels bounding between $85.00 and $83.00 per barrel.
Oil markets remain concerned about Middle East tensions, but global slowdown hard to ignore.

Joshua Gibson FXStreet

West Texas Intermediary (WT) Crude Oil barrels are seeing some tension in the midrange on Friday, in play between $85.00 and $83.00 USD per barrel as energy markets spread their bets to the middle.

Oil markets continue to roil as Middle East headlines print across the tape, and barrel traders remain focused on developments in the Gaza Strip conflict.

Two separate Egyptian Red Sea towns were hit by errant projectiles early Friday, perfectly highlighting global markets' concerns about potential spillover into neighboring regions in the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israel is facing global pushback on their planned full-scale invasion of Gaza, and so far has not executed their strategy, but Israeli forces still saw their largest ground attack of the contested region on Friday.

On Thursday Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian threatened intentional geopolitical turmoil while at the United Nations (UN), stating that the United States would "not be spared from this fire" if Israel continued to attack Hamas forces.

The current escalation was sparked by a Hamas rocket barrage three weeks ago that set a record for the number of people killed in a single attack up to that point.

Despite geopolitical tensions spilling out from the Jordan region, energy investors are having a hard time ignoring hardening signs of global growth weakness, and concerns are mounting in fossil fuels that demand for Crude Oil barrels is going to slump in the coming months.

WTI Technical Outlook

WTI Crude Oil is currently strung up in consolidation with candlesticks trading firmly inside familiar daily ranges. US Crude Oil is currently down almost 5% for the week as WTI cycles $84.00 per barrel.

$82.00 is proving to be a significant technical support level, while a bearish breakdown will see barrel bids challenging the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) currently parked near $78.00.

On the top side, the last swing high sits just shy of the $90.00 major psychological level, while a break above 2023's ceiling of $93.98 would see WTI setting a 14-month high at the $94.00 handle.

WTI Daily Chart

WTI Technical Levels

WTI US OIL

Overview
Today last price	84.28
Today Daily Change	1.01
Today Daily Change %	1.21
Today daily open	83.27

Trends
Daily SMA20	85.39
Daily SMA50	85.71
Daily SMA100	80.55
Daily SMA200	77.97

Levels
Previous Daily High	85.34
Previous Daily Low	82.37
Previous Weekly High	89.64
Previous Weekly Low	84.39
Previous Monthly High	93.98
Previous Monthly Low	83.09
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%	83.5
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%	84.21
Daily Pivot Point S1	81.98
Daily Pivot Point S2	80.69
Daily Pivot Point S3	79.01
Daily Pivot Point R1	84.95
Daily Pivot Point R2	86.63
Daily Pivot Point R3	87.93

Author

Joshua Gibson

FXStreet

Joshua joins the FXStreet team as an Economics and Finance double major from Vancouver Island University with twelve years' experience as an independent trader focusing on technical analysis.

AUD/USD keeps range near mid-0.7100s as USD bulls await US CPI

AUD/USD steadies near mid-0.7100s in the Asian session on Friday, stalling the previous day's sharp decline to an over one-week low. The August PPI report reaffirmed Fed rate-hike bets and boosted the US Dollar on Thursday, which weighed heavily on the pair. However, hawkish RBA expectations limited losses for the Aussie as USD bulls now await the release of the US consumer inflation figures before placing fresh bets.

USD/JPY holds lower ground toward 154.00; looks to US CPI

USD/JPY holds lower ground toward 154.00 in the Asian session on Friday after hot Japanese PPI data bolster a more hawkish BoJ repricing and provide fresh impetus to the Japanese Yen. However, the downside appears capped as the US Dollar preserves overnight gains ahead of the latest US consumer inflation data.

Gold moves away from one-week low, climbs above $4,450 as USD edges lower ahead of CPI

Gold builds on its modest intraday recovery from the $4,300 neighborhood, or a one-and-a-half-week low, touched earlier this Friday, and climbs above $4,350 heading into the European session. The upside potential, however, seems limited as traders opt to wait for the release of US consumer inflation figures before placing directional bets.

Cardano approaches critical support as correction risks grow

Cardano (ADA) recovers slightly, trading at $0.206 at the time of writing on Friday, inches above the critical support zone after losing more than 6% so far this week. Weakening derivatives data and fading bullish momentum suggest a bearish near-term outlook, with a decisive close below the support zone potentially triggering a deeper correction for ADA.

US core CPI data set to ease in August as markets reprice Fed September rate decision

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish the August Consumer Price Index data on Friday. The report is expected to show a small decline in annual core inflation. Any divergence from analysts’ estimates could influence the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook and impact the US Dollar’s valuation.

Venezuela’s 65-billion-barrel Oil deal could reshape America’s inflation fight

The United States (US) has secured unprecedented access to part of Venezuela’s vast Oil reserves. The timing is particularly significant as the war with Iran is disrupting Middle Eastern supplies, keeping energy prices elevated and reviving concerns about inflation.