US Crude Oil

This could be a pivotal week for the crude oil. With key US economic data on the horizon and the OPEC+ meeting later this week to discuss oil production targets, market participants are bracing for significant developments.

Given the rise in non-OPEC supply growth, the OPEC+ will be under pressure to support prices. But the group has said that it will gradually restore withheld supplies after multiple delays. What’s more, we could see a sharp rise in US drilling activity under Trump’s plans. As a result, we could potentially see a boost in both OPEC and non-OPEC production by 2025 and beyond.

Crude oil prices came off their earlier lows by mid-day in London. But the path of least resistance remains to the downside, and I would be rather surprised if a breakdown does not occur in the coming days, barring a surprise supply-side shock.

Highlighting demand concerns, the OPEC has today cut its oil demand growth forecast again. This is the fourth month in a row that it has done so. Weak oil demand in China, the world’s largest oil consumer, remains the primary driver of falling prices.

The immediate response in the commodities space to the Republican’s clean sweep victory has been a bearish one - especially for industrial metals. Copper and silver fell over 4% each, tracking weaker iron ore prices, while gold was off by around 3%. Crude prices fell too but came sharply off their earlier lows.

Crude oil forecast: Oil prices have shown some recovery, bouncing over 1% in early Monday trading, before easing a little off their earlier highs. However, after last week’s steep 9% decline, the broader outlook remains bearish, especially while WTI crude stays below the critical $70 mark. Could oil prices dip toward $65 in the days ahead?

EIA rude stockpiles data helped to push WTI oil a little off its earlier lows, but it struggled. We maintain a slightly bearish crude oil outlook, especially if WTI breaks back below the $70 on a daily closing basis. Should that happen, it could potentially pave the way for a deeper drop amid follow-up technical selling and given existing concerns about rising supply and lack of a sharper demand growth.

The overall crude oil forecast remains clouded by weak demand, particularly from China, and rising supply pressures. As speculators turn increasingly bearish and technical signals point to further downside, oil prices could continue to face headwinds in the near term.

Hopes that the US driving season would propel prices to new 2024 highs this summer failed to materialise as demand remained weak in key economic regions like China. At the same time, the OPEC+ appeared content with plans to increase output from the fourth quarter.

Stronger GDP, core durable goods orders and the drop in oil inventories have all helped to alleviate demand concerns somewhat, reducing the pressure on oil prices. After today’s reversal-looking price candle, our crude oil forecast has turned modestly bullish.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil was slightly off its best levels but remained on track to close higher for the fourth consecutive week as of late Friday. In the week ahead, keep an eye on crude inventories and consumer inflation data from the US.