Oil Prices Decline as US Softens Grip on Iran

September 12, 2019
crude oil prices

By Adedapo Adesanya 

Prices of oil futures declined on Wednesday, settling at their lowest in about a week following reports that President Donald Trump is considering easing sanctions on Iran.

This in turn raised the possibility of the return of the country’s crude to the world market.

Brent Crude dropped from $62 losing $1.34 or 2.15 percent to trade at $61.04, while the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude performed worse as it went down to $55.97 after losing $1.43 equal to 2.49 percent.

Trump discussed easing sanctions on Iran in a move to secure a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani later this month, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The move comes a day after Trump announced that U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who had argued to push Iranian oil exports to zero, stepped down.

A weaker demand outlook from Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Wednesday also fed the price decline, despite U.S. government data showing a fourth straight weekly fall in domestic crude supplies.

OPEC on Wednesday lowered its forecast for global oil-demand growth in 2019 and 2020, citing weaker-than-expected data in the first half of this year from various global demand centers and slower economic growth projections.

Also on Wednesday, the Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. crude supplies fell by 6.9 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 6. That marked a fourth weekly decline in a row.

Adedapo Adesanya

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

Leave a Reply

NASD OTC Exchange
Previous Story

NASD OTC Market Closes Flat Wednesday

naira-dollar-forex
Next Story

Naira Trades N360/$ at Black Market, N306.85/$1 at Interbank

Latest from Economy