Oil tumbles on easing fears of wider Middle East war
Brent falls after gains on Monday
Iran says retaliation may be avoided
U.S. beefs up naval forces in Mediterranean
Updates with settlement prices, paragraph 2
By Erwin Seba
HOUSTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) -Brent and U.S. crude oil futures fell on Tuesday as traders grew less nervous about the potential for awider war in the Middle East, with Iran yet to act on threats to retaliate on Israel for assassination of a Hamas official in Tehran.
Benchmark Brent LCOc1 crude futures settled down $1.61, or 1.96% at $80.69 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 finished down $1.71, or 2.14%, at $78.35 a barrel.
"The markets had priced in an imminent attack by Iran against Israel within 24 to 48 hours," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group. "That hasn't happened. The market is taking that risk premium out of the price for crude."
TheInternational Energy Agency kept its 2024 global oil demand growth forecast unchanged but trimmed its 2025 estimate, citing the impact of lacklustre Chinese consumption on economic growth.
Brent on Monday gained more than 3%, closing at $82.30 a barrel after hitting the lowest closing price in seven months, $76.30, a week earlier.
Also on Monday, theOrganization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut expected demand in 2024 even thoughthe group and its allies, known as OPEC+, aim to raise output from October.
Escalation in the Middle East could endanger crude supply from a leading oil-producing regions, but wider war seemed less likely as Iran suggested renewed cease-fire talks with Hamas could prevent retaliation.
"We're seeing evaporation of the geopolitical risk premium," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch Associates.
The U.S. has prepared for what could be significant attacks by Iran or its proxies in the region as soon as this week, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday.
Markets also await Wednesday's U.S. consumer price index report that will give a crucial read on inflation.
Reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston; additional reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Jason Neely, Mark Potter, Rod Nickel and David Gregorio
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
