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
Micro2Macr0
Macro Economist
Record-level fear of a supply cutoff is a contrarian reason for crude oil not to be priced so high. BullTheory reports Goldman Sachs puts that fear at about $22 per barrel, the second-highest reading on record. Iran is losing dramatically from all directions, making the fear premium even less persuasive. 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
More oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz and continued OPEC and Russian production should push crude oil lower. It has fallen from about $106 to $96 over the past month. x.comÂ
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
The oil trade is over because crude can no longer make higher highs, even with Middle East crude exports back near their peaks. Oil is trading around its average price of the last eight months and set a lower high in September, so it is only a matter of time before the market gives up. Crude looks about to fall through the floor, with rates following and high-beta stocks then going vertical as every dip gets bought. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Crude oil should keep moving lower even after the midterms, because 2027 economic projections point to lower inflation. Around $100, oil was a good short since policymakers wouldn't let it break out ahead of the midterms and risk voter confidence. Some volatility is likely at first. x.comÂ
Crude oil's supply damage would persist even if the wars in Russia and Iran ended, because infrastructure is destroyed and tankers are damaged. Diesel has broken resistance alongside US 30-year yields; without a collapse in diesel driven by a severe stock-market drop and unemployment, both are expected to keep rising, setting up a harsher eventual downturn. x.comÂ
Extreme bullishness about an oil shortage is a warning because oil has tended to return to around $50 within 12-18 months after such talk. Calls for a 'great oil repricing' appeared today, though they may not be widespread enough yet to mark the same setup. x.com x.comÂ
Another interest-rate hike this year should bring crude oil prices down. The call responds to Fed official John Williams saying one more hike is appropriate this year. 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
A Trump tweet over the weekend is expected to bring crude oil down. The call also anticipates a sharp bounce on Monday. x.comÂ