Oil prices should decline as a deal for Venezuelan oil fields, which hold the world's largest crude reserves at 17-18%, adds supply. Oil already fell 4% last week. x.com
Dan Niles
Founder & Portfolio Manager of Niles Investment Management
Oil prices are likely to keep declining through year-end as the Iran situation winds down, though normal flows through the Strait of Hormuz will take months to restore given shut-in capacity, rerouted shipping and waiting ships. Oil already fell from $109 on May 18 to $87, and continued progress with Iran is key. Lower oil should help beaten-down consumer discretionary names like Take-Two, Disney and TKO. x.com x.com
Crude oil faces a strong bearish headwind from potential new supply, as the Trump administration is reportedly close to a deal for ownership stakes in Venezuelan oil fields that US officials estimate could more than double US reserves. A textbook double top on the daily chart has price rejecting resistance and accelerating lower. The downside target is the 200-day EMA, where a bounce could follow if institutional buyers defend it. x.com
Crude oil prices are likely headed lower as a Venezuela deal covering 65 billion barrels and $100 billion, plus a new strait being dug on the Omani side, open up supply. That doesn't sink every oil stock: refiners and midstream services stand to benefit, and Halliburton could gain greatly from years of rehab work across 17 Venezuelan fields, where it already has a subsidiary and is reportedly in talks to supply equipment and services. x.com
Crude oil is being pushed higher by design: the main purpose of the conflict is to raise oil prices so that Venezuelan oil, which costs $20-40 a barrel to produce, can be sold at a profit. Venezuela's production had been very low because its costs were almost equal to the oil price. x.com
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.com
Crude oil now has more room to fall on a deal headline than to rise on the status quo, as Trump's rejection of Iran's seven-day Hormuz plan looks like a negotiating position, with negotiators due back this week and the Saudi foreign minister in Washington. The closed Strait put Brent back at $108 with Nov–Dec backwardation near $8. Speculators added shorts three weeks running, squeeze fuel above $100 if talks fail; a deal would leave about 101,828 contracts of net length as supply. x.com x.com
Crude oil's safety buffer is draining at a record pace, so the next supply shock will hit a market with far less protection. The Iran war and near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz have removed over 1 billion barrels of supply, and Morgan Stanley estimates stockpiles fell about 4.8 million barrels a day from March 1 to April 25, a record. A record 400 million barrels of emergency reserves have been pledged, and inventories are near 2018 lows. Even if Hormuz reopens, restocking will add demand. … Show more
Crude oil's price floor is well below $70 a barrel now that Iran is under control and Venezuela is pumping oil. x.com
Crude oil faces near-term pressure as Trump said US-Iran talks were productive and pledged no strikes before the November 3 elections; Brent fell to $103.36. Supply risks persist, however, with attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and 1.3 million barrels a day of Gulf of Mexico production shut in ahead of Hurricane Isaias. x.com
Renewed Ukraine and Iran tensions should push oil higher again. The Kobeissi Letter reports a Ukrainian strike on a major Russian oil terminal. Higher oil adds to last week's financing worries; even slight earnings weakness in the next few weeks could be disastrous for markets. A rally at the open would not surprise, though, as headlines shift quickly. x.com
Oil will come down significantly, because Trump will eventually make a deal with Iran and put the conflict to bed. x.com