Why hasn’t crude oil skyrocketed?
There has been a lot of fundamental news in crude oil trading recently, with hospitals and schools in Gaza being bombed, and Iran calling for an oil embargo.
Why haven’t oil prices exploded? Three major factors indicate that oil prices are in a storm!
1. OPEC+ has no plans to hold a special meeting and take immediate action. Judging from OPEC+'s recent statements, it expects global oil demand to remain optimistic in the second half of the year (Saudi Aramco CEO predicts that global oil demand will reach 1,030 barrels per day in the second half of this year), and the oil market situation is balanced and reasonable. In addition, if there is a sustained oil supply shortage in the market, OPEC+ may even increase production in 2024. The oil market currently has 3 million barrels per day of spare production capacity.
2. The Venezuelan government and the opposition reached an agreement on the presidential election. On Wednesday (October 18), the U.S. Treasury Department issued a suspension order authorizing transactions with the Venezuelan oil and gas sector, which is valid for 6 months. Venezuela's crude oil exports exceeded 800,000 barrels per day in September, the second-highest monthly export rate since the beginning of the year, and its oil exports are expected to rise further. However, due to Venezuela’s backward infrastructure, the short-term impact on the oil supply side is expected to be limited.
3. U.S. bond yields hit multi-year highs. U.S. retail sales in September announced on Tuesday (October 17) were stronger than expected, showing that consumer enthusiasm is still high. JPMorgan Chase raised its third-quarter U.S. real GDP growth forecast from 3.5 % was revised up to 4.3%. The market is betting that the Fed's interest rate cut will be further postponed to the third quarter of next year. The 10-year U.S. bond yield exceeded 4.9% intraday on Wednesday (October 18), reaching a maximum of 4.934, just one step away from the 5% level.
To sum up, the author believes that oil prices are already in a "storm". Although oil prices are in a "dilemma" in the short term, when more oil supply and demand factors are involved, this often means that a new round of unilateral market may be about to occur.
It is foreseeable that if the situation in Gaza worsens further, it will further unite Arab countries. In addition, once Iran joins the conflict, the possibility of Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz cannot be ruled out, which may cause oil prices to hit the resistance above $100. On the contrary, if the situation in Gaza cools down, oil prices may give up the gains made in the past two weeks.
In addition, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will deliver his last speech before the "silence period" in the early morning of Friday (October 20). As U.S. Treasury bond yields continue to surge and financial conditions tighten, it is expected that Powell will be more likely to release "dovish" remarks, which may be beneficial to short-term market sentiment.
Emergencies based on conflicts in the Middle East may appear at any time, and crude oil is more likely to rise again in the short term. For short-term operations, enter quickly and exit quickly, and don’t be greedy for profit expansion.
Short-term operation suggestions:
OIL buy:86.5 -87 tp150pips sl 86
Since the crude oil prices in the delivery accounts are different, we need to buy within a reasonable range based on our own crude oil prices.
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