Commodity News
HeadLine : Crude oil futures slide as pandemic darkens demand outlook
Date : Mar 30 2020
Crude oil benchmarks dropped on Monday, extending last week's losses as the global coronavirus pandemic worsened and the Saudi Arabia-Russia price war showed no signs of abating. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CLc1) futures hit a low of $19.92 in early trading and last traded down 5.2%, or $1.12, at $20.39 a barrel, while Brent (LCOc1) futures fell 5.6%, or $1.40, to $23.53 a barrel. The oil markets are enduring a twin shock of demand destruction caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the Saudi-Russia price war that is flooding markets with extra supply. With the demand now forecast to plunge 15 million or 20 million barrels per day, a 20% drop from last year, analysts say massive production cuts will be needed beyond just the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed about 32,000 people and sickened more than 500,000 worldwide, has brought the worldwide aviation industry to a standstill and put roughly 3 billion people on lockdown to limit the spread of the virus. In recent days prices for crude oil at key locales such as Midland, Texas, have traded at several dollars less than U.S. futures, an indication that companies there are anticipating a flood of supply. Some obscure grades of crude stranded at the end of pipelines have even fetched negative prices.

Source: Investing.com
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