Tags: oil | energy | trade | crude

Oil Drops Most in Three Weeks Amid Falling Equities, Output Jump

Oil Drops Most in Three Weeks Amid Falling Equities, Output Jump

Wednesday, 07 March 2018 03:01 PM EST

Oil fell by the most in more than three weeks as equities declined, the dollar rose and a U.S. government report showed an expansion of crude stockpiles and production.

Futures in New York fell as much as 3.2 percent during the session. Declines in the equity market, a rising dollar and concern that Trump’s tariff threats will spark a trade war acted as a downward force on crude oil. And at the same time, the Energy Information Administration reported American oil inventories rose by 2.41 million barrels last week, while production jumped to a fresh record high.

There’s “concern that if the tariffs are imposed and we get into a trade war, it lowers overall global growth,” Craig Bethune, a senior portfolio manager at Manulife Asset Management, said by telephone.

The U.S. benchmark crude has closed above $62 a barrel this week amid optimism at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston, where ministers and executives have been discussing the oil market. When asked whether the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was worried about further U.S. crude output growth, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said he wasn’t and pointed to robust demand.

West Texas Intermediate crude for April delivery dropped $1.42 to $61.18 a barrel at 1:43 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Total volume traded was about 27 percent above the 100-day average.

Brent for May settlement fell $1.43 to $64.26 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe Exchange. The global benchmark traded at a $3.33 premium to May WTI.

The EIA report also showed gasoline supplies declined for the first time since January and distillate inventories fell for a fourth straight week. Stockpiles at the key U.S. storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma tumbled for an eleventh week to the lowest since 2014. Crude inventories rose by 2.41 million barrels, lower than expectations.

“The build was much less than the 5.66 million barrel build that the API had reported last night, which may have spooked the market a bit,” said Nick Holmes, an analyst at Tortoise in Leawood, Kansas, which manages $16 billion in energy-related assets. Yet, “there is a lot of uncertainty in the market with tariffs and NAFTA banter from D.C. The market doesn’t like uncertainty, especially things that could potentially crimp GDP growth and overall crude demand.”

© Copyright 2024 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.


StreetTalk
Oil fell by the most in more than three weeks as equities declined, the dollar rose and a U.S. government report showed an expansion of crude stockpiles and production.
oil, energy, trade, crude
384
2018-01-07
Wednesday, 07 March 2018 03:01 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
Get Newsmax Text Alerts
TOP

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
MONEYNEWS.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
NEWSMAX.COM
MONEYNEWS.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved