Justin Banks
Growth & Momentum Trader, Founder of Wolves of Wealth
Crude oil's last cushion is gone as recovering demand squeezes constrained Middle East supply. Barclays puts China imports near pre-war levels at 10.5m b/d, India up 600,000 b/d year on year and Middle East flows at 84% of pre-war levels; US demand is recovering. After more than 500m barrels of inventory were drawn down, buyers are paying a $13/bbl premium for next-week cargoes over the front-month contract, versus under $4 a week into the war. x.comÂ
An imminent Israeli strike on Iran puts Gulf oil infrastructure at unusually high risk over the next three months, supporting a near-term rise in crude oil. Large trades are betting on oil reaching $115 again. x.comÂ
Sustained high energy prices strain US farming, logistics, manufacturing and consumers, so crude oil should fall dramatically from its elevated level. Middle East and Russia tensions are lifting WTI, shown near $103, while Trump will likely step in at some point to reduce uncertainty. x.com x.comÂ
Crude oil's 4 million-barrel-a-day global inventory draw despite weaker exports and refinery demand signals physical tightness. Chinese exports and refinery demand in Russia and China are each down a few million barrels a day, yet Brent is at a more than four-year high. Bessent says Persian Gulf exports exceed prewar levels, but cash and dated Brent trade well above front-month futures. Rising backwardation and inventory draws leave smaller buffers if escalation continues. x.com x.comÂ
Crude oil's long historical correlation with gold and its lag behind gold make an oil catch-up to $200-$500 almost a lock. Oil-to-gold stands at 0.03 against a 75-plus-year upper range of 0.15; even a move to around 0.08 would mean oil rising 2-3 times against gold, gold falling 50%-66%, or both moving. Demand would probably hold up to around $300, though it could break closer to $500. Such a surge is not an outcome to cheer for. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Plummeting base costs and weaker demand from struggling economies abroad should push crude oil lower next year. The same forces will also weigh on many other commodities and services. x.comÂ
Oil should already be near $120 because Saudi Arabia, Europe's major oil source, is going offline for an indefinite period. Houthi strikes have repeatedly hit Aramco's facilities at Yanbu, per a report, and it is naive to think Saudi can repair the damage without being attacked again. x.comÂ
Crude oil is headed for $150 a barrel, with the S&P 500 set to fall 25%. A string of US refinery and oil and gas infrastructure outages, such as the Colonial Pipeline incident flagged by @BankerWeimar, is striking as it coincides with a war in the Middle East. x.com x.comÂ
Crude oil should fall back into the $60s and likely well below over time once the Iran war is resolved. Middle East producers are overproducing but cannot export the barrels, so when the Strait fully reopens they will flood the market. Oil tried to break down from its trend line but was rejected, and bigger resolution news is likely needed to push it much lower. Cheaper oil would remove current inflation fears, setting up a deflationary boom. x.com x.comÂ
Without a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz soon, energy inventories are weeks from bottoming, if they are not there already, which would spike oil to $150-200 and cause a deep global recession. President Trump told @nancycordes there is a draft agreement with Iran and the sides are getting a lot closer, but the Strait needs to open as soon as possible. x.comÂ