West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $59.20 during the early Asian trading hours on Monday. The WTI price jumps as tensions in Iran are fueling concerns in the oil market. Traders brace for the release of the American Petroleum Institute (API) crude oil stockpiles report on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump is weighing a series of potential military options in Iran following deadly protests in the country, CNN reported on Sunday. Trump threatened repercussions if Iranian authorities target civilians, while Tehran warned the US and Israel against any intervention. The situation in Iran puts almost 2 million barrels per day of oil exports at risk of disruption, which could boost the WTI price in the near term.
“Markets seem more focused on the intensifying unrest in Iran amid heated rhetoric and resilient fundamentals,” said Amarpreet Singh, Barclays’ analyst.
Nonetheless, a US push to draw oil companies back into Venezuela might cap the upside for the black gold. Trump said last week that Venezuela’s interim government agreed to give as many as 50 million barrels of “high-quality, sanctioned oil” to the US. Trump added that the US wants full access to Venezuela’s oil following the arrest of former President Nicolas Maduro by US forces over the weekend.
The API crude oil stockpiles report will be published on Tuesday. A larger-than-expected crude oil inventory draw indicates stronger demand and could boost the WTI price, while a bigger build than estimated signals weaker demand or excess supply, which might drag the WTI price lower.
WTI Oil FAQs
WTI Oil is a type of Crude Oil sold on international markets. The WTI stands for West Texas Intermediate, one of three major types including Brent and Dubai Crude. WTI is also referred to as “light” and “sweet” because of its relatively low gravity and sulfur content respectively. It is considered a high quality Oil that is easily refined. It is sourced in the United States and distributed via the Cushing hub, which is considered “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. It is a benchmark for the Oil market and WTI price is frequently quoted in the media.
Like all assets, supply and demand are the key drivers of WTI Oil price. As such, global growth can be a driver of increased demand and vice versa for weak global growth. Political instability, wars, and sanctions can disrupt supply and impact prices. The decisions of OPEC, a group of major Oil-producing countries, is another key driver of price. The value of the US Dollar influences the price of WTI Crude Oil, since Oil is predominantly traded in US Dollars, thus a weaker US Dollar can make Oil more affordable and vice versa.
The weekly Oil inventory reports published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Agency (EIA) impact the price of WTI Oil. Changes in inventories reflect fluctuating supply and demand. If the data shows a drop in inventories it can indicate increased demand, pushing up Oil price. Higher inventories can reflect increased supply, pushing down prices. API’s report is published every Tuesday and EIA’s the day after. Their results are usually similar, falling within 1% of each other 75% of the time. The EIA data is considered more reliable, since it is a government agency.
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a group of 12 Oil-producing nations who collectively decide production quotas for member countries at twice-yearly meetings. Their decisions often impact WTI Oil prices. When OPEC decides to lower quotas, it can tighten supply, pushing up Oil prices. When OPEC increases production, it has the opposite effect. OPEC+ refers to an expanded group that includes ten extra non-OPEC members, the most notable of which is Russia.
