Oil Prices Remain Elevated Despite Recession Fears, Covid Related Lockdown in China
Despite recessionary fears and concerns over Covid-19 related lockdown in China, oil prices remain elevated.
- Brent crude futures for September settlement rose by $2.14, or 2.1%, to $103.30 a barrel by 1100 GMT, having gained 2.1% on Friday.
- U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for August delivery were up $1.72, or 1.8%, at $99.31 after rising by 1.9% in the previous session.
- Both Brent and WTI last week registered their biggest weekly declines for about a month on fears of a recession that would hit oil demand. Mass COVID-testing exercises continue in parts of China this week, raising concerns over oil demand from the world’s second-largest oil consumer.
However, supplies remain tight. As expected, U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia failed to yield any pledge from the top OPEC producer to boost oil supply.
- Biden wants Gulf oil producers to step up output to help lower oil prices and drive down inflation.
- Global markets are focused this week on the resumption of Russian gas flows to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which is scheduled to end maintenance on July 21. Governments, markets and companies fear the shutdown could be extended because of the war in Ukraine.
- “Brent crude will find support at the end of the week if Russia does not turn the gas back on to Germany after Nord Stream 1 maintenance,” said OANDA senior analyst Jeffrey Halley.
Loss of that gas to Germany, the world’s fourth-largest economy, would hit it hard and heighten the risk of recession.
