Summary of the Crude Oil Market This WeekThis week, the crude oil market witnessed a significant decline. Brent crude oil dropped by a cumulative 8.3%, and WTI crude oil fell by 7.5%. Both recorded their largest single-week declines since the end of March.👉👉👉
OPEC+ convened a production meeting ahead of schedule and planned to discuss the production increase plan for June. The market bets that the probability of a production increase is as high as 70%. Previously, OPEC+ unexpectedly announced in April that it would increase daily production by 411,000 barrels starting from May, which is three times the original planned increase. This move aimed to punish member states that had overproduced oil. If production is further increased in June, it will further intensify the supply pressure on the market.
Although the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East region have intensified, such as the postponement of the fourth round of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, which has, to a certain extent, provided support for oil prices, judging from the overall market situation this week, this supporting effect has failed to offset the impact of increased supply and decreased demand.
Overall, this week, under the intertwined influence of factors such as increased supply, uncertain demand prospects, and changes in the geopolitical situation, the crude oil market showed a significant downward trend. The market's expectations for crude oil prices are rather pessimistic, and it is expected that crude oil prices will still face certain downward pressure in the coming period. However, if OPEC+ changes its production increase plan, or if there is an unexpected improvement in the global economy, crude oil prices may rebound.
