Brent crude oil prices fell more than 1 percent on Monday after Washington said it may grant waivers to sanctions against Iran’s oil exports next month, and as Saudi Arabia was said to be replacing any potential shortfall from Iran.
International benchmark Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were at $83.26 per barrel at 0352 GMT, down 90 cents, or 1.1 percent, from their last close.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were down 54 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $73.80 a barrel.
U.S. sanctions will target Iran’s crude oil exports from Nov. 4, and Washington has been putting pressure on governments and companies worldwide to cut their imports to zero.
However, a U.S. government official said on Friday that the country could consider exemptions for nations that have already shown efforts to reduce their imports of Iranian oil.
In a sign that Iran oil exports won’t fall to nothing from November, India will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian crude next month, Reuters reported on Friday.
Hedge funds cut their bullish wagers on U.S. crude in the latest week to the lowest level in nearly a year, data showed on Friday.
Traders said ongoing concerns that the U.S.-Chinese trade war could slow down economic growth also weighed on crude on Monday.
China’s stocks fell sharply on Monday despite an announcement from Beijing over the weekend that it would slash the level of cash that banks must hold as reserves, a sign of underlying investor anxiety over the heated Sino-U.S. trade war.
Further weighing on oil prices was “chatter that Saudi Arabia has replaced all of Iran’s lost oil”, said Stephen Innes, head of trading for Asia-Pacific at futures brokerage Oanda in Singapore.
But Innes warned that limited spare production to deal with further supply disruptions meant “the capacity is quickly declining due to Asia’s insatiable demand”.
The U.S. oil drilling rig count fell for a third consecutive week, as rising costs and pipeline bottlenecks have hindered new drilling since June.
Drillers cut two oil rigs in the week to Oct. 5, bringing the total count down to 861, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its weekly report on Friday. RIG-OL-USA-BHI
That is the longest streak of weekly cuts since October last year.
With Iran sanctions still on the table, potential spare capacity constraints and also a slowdown in U.S. drilling, U.S. bank J.P.Morgan said in its latest cross-asset outlook for clients that it recommended to “stay long Jan ‘19 WTI on supply risks to crude”.
Latest Stories
-
We’ll cut down imports and boost consumption of local rice and other products – Mahama
57 mins -
Prof Opoku-Agyemang donates to Tamale orphanage to mark her birthday
2 hours -
Don’t call re-painted old schools brand new infrastructure – Prof Opoku-Agyemang tells gov’t
3 hours -
Sunon Asogli plant will be back on stream in a few weeks – ECG
3 hours -
ECOWAS deploys observers for Dec. 7 election
3 hours -
73 officers commissioned into Ghana Armed Forces
3 hours -
Impending shutdown of three power plants won’t happen – ECG MD
3 hours -
Ghana shouldn’t have experienced any ‘dumsor’ after 2017 – IES Boss
4 hours -
Lamens flouted some food safety laws in re-bagging rice – Former FDA Boss Alhaji Hudu Mogtari
4 hours -
Afcon exit: Our issue is administrative failure and mismanagement, not lack of talent – Saddick Adams
5 hours -
WAPCo to commence major pipeline maintenance and inspection from November 25
5 hours -
CEO of Oro Oil Ghana Limited Maxwell Commey listed among the 100 Most Influential People Awards, 2024
5 hours -
Power crisis: Amandi is off due to maintenance, not debt – ECG Boss
5 hours -
Votes cast for late Akua Donkor to be declared invalid – Electoral Commission
6 hours -
You can’t keep “incompetent” Otto Addo for the long term – Countryman Songo
6 hours