Crude Oil Drops as Economic Worries Offset Tighter Supply Signals

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By Adedapo Adesanya

Prices of crude oil were in red on Wednesday as worries about a weaker global economy offset data showing a weekly drawdown in crude stockpiles, indicating supplies remained tight.

Investors are also worried a slowing economy could dent energy demand as central banks hike interest rates to battle inflation, causing the price of the Brent crude to fall yesterday by 1.75 per cent or $2.06 to $115.90 per barrel, with the United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropping 1.98 per cent or $2.21 to $109.50 a barrel.

US crude inventories fell last week even as production hit its highest level since April 2020 during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Even comments from the US central bank chief did nothing to quell the fear as prices went down.

The US Federal Reserve Chair, Mr Jerome Powell, announced that the economy would not be allowed to slip into a “higher inflation regime” even if it means raising interest rates to levels that put growth at risk.

The oil market had been propelled in the previous session as concerns over tight supplies due to Western sanctions on Russia outweighed fears that demand may slow in a potential future recession.

Analysts are concerned that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may not have enough spare capacity to make up for the lost Russian supply.

French President, Mr Emmanuel Macron, said this week he was told these producers will struggle to increase output further.

However, the UAE energy minister said the country, which is producing about 3 million barrels per day, has some spare capacity above its OPEC quota of 3.17 million barrels per day.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies such as Russia, which form the OPEC+ group, began a series of two-day meetings on Wednesday and will hold its official meeting on Thursday.

There are no indications that there will be changes to the current level of output as was agreed earlier this month.

At its last meeting in early June, OPEC+ sped up production cuts and agreed to raise output each month by 648,000 barrels per day in July and August, up from earlier increases of 432,000 barrels per day.

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