Oil Hits Two-week Low After China Hits U.S. Goods With Tariffs

Posted by Joseph Keefe
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
U.S. crude inventories also likely saw build for 2nd week.
Oil fell to its lowest in two weeks on Wednesday after China said it would impose tariffs on a number of U.S. goods including agricultural products, raising the prospect of a growing trade war that could impact global growth.
China, the world's largest importer of raw materials, hit back at the Trump administration's plan to levy tariffs on $50 billion of its goods, retaliating with a list of duties on U.S. imports including soybeans, planes, cars, whiskey and chemicals.
Equity and commodity markets dropped sharply, reflecting growing nervousness among traders and investors.
Brent crude futures dropped $0.84 on the day to $67.28 a barrel by 1146 GMT, bringing losses for the week so far to nearly 5 percent.
U.S. WTI crude futures fell $0.89 to $62.62 a barrel.
Oil prices had already been under pressure earlier in the day ahead of a possible rise in U.S. inventories, as reported by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) later on Wednesday.
"We’re seeing the reaction across the board ... crude oil is keeping an eye on stocks and with S&P (futures) down ... we're seeing renewed weakness ahead of the EIA this afternoon," Saxo Bank head of commodities strategy Ole Hansen said.
Yet fund managers hold more bets on a sustained rise in the price of Brent crude oil than at any time, data from the InterContinental Exchange shows.
LONG POSITION
The net long position in futures and options tops 600 million barrels of oil, the data shows, meaning that in the event of a sharper drop in price, sellers may find a dearth of buyers.
"What’s really the main worry is that the long/short ratio is so skewed, meaning who is going to be buying if there is a lot of selling pressure?" Hansen said.
U.S. crude inventories likely saw a buildup for the second straight week, rising 200,000 barrels in the week ended March 30, a Reuters poll of industry analysts showed on Tuesday.
"Oil fundamentals are returning to the forefront of concerns and developments in the U.S. don't make good reading for market bulls," PVM Oil Associates strategist Stephen Brennock said.
The correlation between oil and equities remains strongly positive, meaning a drop in the stock market is likely to be echoed by crude futures.

"Equities have been the most significant external driver for the short-term price direction of oil, with the significant volatility coming (partly) from the perception of a trade war," said Dominic Chirichella, senior partner at the Energy Management Institute in New York. 

By Amanda Cooper

Categories: Energy Finance Government Update

Related Stories

Japan Protests China’s New Oil and Gas Construction Activities in East China Sea

CNOOC Signs Hydrocarbons Exploration and Production Deal with Kazakhstan

Wood JV Gets EPC Job for Shell off Brunei

Chuditch Gas Field Drilling Ops Get Delayed to Next Year

French Oil Major Acquires Interests in Multiple Blocks in Southeast Asia

ABL Lands Work on BP’s Indonesian Gas and CCUS Project

MODEC, Carbon Clean to Advance FPSO-Mounted Carbon Capture Tech

BP Expands Oil and Gas Scope in Azerbaijan with New Projects and Exploration Rights

TPAO, SOCAR and BP to Ink Caspian Sea Oil and Gas Production Deal

OMV Exits Ghasha Gas Project off UAE with Lukoil Stake Sale

Current News

Petrovietnam, Partners Sign PSC for Block Off Vietnam

Japan Protests China’s New Oil and Gas Construction Activities in East China Sea

CNOOC Signs Hydrocarbons Exploration and Production Deal with Kazakhstan

Thailand's PTT to Buy LNG from Glenfarne's Alaska LNG Project

Woodside and Jera Agree LNG Cargoes Supply for Japan’s Winter Period

Petronas Expands Suriname Portfolio with Deepwater Block Acquisition

Japanese Oil and Gas Firm Enters Two Blocks off Malaysia

Yinson Production, “K” LINE Target Europe's CCS with FSIU and LCO2 Solutions

Woodside Agrees Long-Term LNG Supply with Petronas Unit

MODEC and Terra Drone Renew FPSO Drone Inspection Partnership

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com