Oil set for another down week, what’s next? 0 (0)

WTI crude looks set to settle below $100 on the week and from the charts, we are seeing a semblance of a double bottom just below the $94 mark:

That will be an important level to watch before a potential drop towards $90 next. Recent sentiment hasn’t been too kind for the oil market outlook, even if OPEC+ is not going to mess things up. Let’s take stock of the situation.

China lockdowns, geopolitical tensions continue to threaten a further slowdown in the global economy
Rising inflation pressures are also weighing on the consumption outlook
Reserve releases by the US and IEA have led to a narrowing in backwardation spreads i.e. less worries about near-term availability of oil supply

So, while global inventories continue to look rather tight, the factors above are working against oil prices at the moment. There is good reason to expect a pullback but I would say that the main argument still holds. That being the first two factors are things that will pass eventually and the final factor is one that is only a temporary fix. Reserve releases do not help to restore the structural imbalances in the oil market.
As such, I would still side with the view that oil prices are going to stay elevated barring any destruction demand or a crash on recession fears. If there is a scenario like the latter, it would make for a perfect dip buying opportunity. Otherwise, any further pullbacks will also be attractive to scale more into longs in my view.
A push towards $90 may draw in some buyers but I think around the levels of $80 to $85, that is where we will see stronger plays from oil bulls in securing longer-term positions. At least I know I will.

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Russia says ’special operation‘ in Ukraine could be completed in ‚foreseeable future‘ 0 (0)

Aims are being achieved and work carried out by military, peace negotiationsRussia continues to be adamant that things are going „on course“ for them. But then again, it is the kind of rhetoric that you have to expect from their side otherwise the alternative would be a sign of weakness.

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EU formally adopts new sanctions against Russia, includes coal import ban 0 (0)

This was already coming since the start of the week, so it isn’t anything new. The full announcement can be found here.The coal import ban is delayed to August 2022 as mentioned here but it is a start at least. It remains to be seen if the EU will have appetite to go after oil and gas but Germany certainly will be a key stumbling block once again if so.

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