WTI holds below $84.50 as hawkish Fed remarks offset geopolitical risks

Western Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $84.25 on Wednesday. The black gold edges lower on the day as hawkish comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell offset the escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. 

Investors place lower bets on the Fed rate cuts this year as the US economy remains robust and inflation is still elevated. The Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that it will take "longer than expected" to achieve the confidence needed to bring inflation to the central bank’s 2% target. It's worth noting that the higher-for-longer US interest rate narrative may put some selling pressure on WTI prices since it translates to less demand for oil as the cost of holding crude oil rises. 

Furthermore, Crude oil stockpiles in the United States for the week ending April 12 increased by 4.09 million barrels from a build of 3.03 million barrels in the previous week. The market consensus estimated that stocks would rise by about 600,000 barrels, according to the American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday.

The ongoing geopolitical tension in the Middle East continues to boost WTI prices. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement late Tuesday that new sanctions targeting Iran and sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran's Defense Ministry will be imposed in the coming days. In case of further escalation, $100 oil is possible, Citigroup analysts said. 

Apart from this, China's crude oil imports reached a new high in 2023, jumping by 10% YoY and shattering the previous record set in 2020. This benefits black gold, as China is the world's largest crude oil importer.