Oil Stays on the Boil

Crude continued its great comeback into the finish of the week, as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East overrode an anaemic Non-Farm Payrolls and yet another jump in the Baker-Hugh’s Rig Count. Both Brent and WTI have now recouped all of their March losses, with Brent, in particular, looking the more constructive on the technical picture.

 

Both crudes will continue to be headline rather than fundamentally driven this week. Although Friday’s Syria strike was almost certainly a one-off, with so many players in proximity, the situation will remain “fluid” to say the least. Early Asia trading appears to have received another boost with the news that a U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to waters of the Korean peninsula on sabre-rattling duty.

 

WTI spot basis has traded 0.5 cents higher in early Asia trade and has resistance at 52.70 and then 54.60.

Brent spot basis will open with a bid tone around 55.00 with resistance at 56.00 initially. Above here looms the key 57.00 level with a daily close above being a very bullish indicator of potentially more gains ahead.

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Jeffrey Halley

Jeffrey Halley

Senior Market Analyst, Asia Pacific, from 2016 to August 2022
With more than 30 years of FX experience – from spot/margin trading and NDFs through to currency options and futures – Jeffrey Halley was OANDA’s Senior Market Analyst for Asia Pacific, responsible for providing timely and relevant macro analysis covering a wide range of asset classes. He has previously worked with leading institutions such as Saxo Capital Markets, DynexCorp Currency Portfolio Management, IG, IFX, Fimat Internationale Banque, HSBC and Barclays. A highly sought-after analyst, Jeffrey has appeared on a wide range of global news channels including Bloomberg, BBC, Reuters, CNBC, MSN, Sky TV and Channel News Asia as well as in leading print publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He was born in New Zealand and holds an MBA from the Cass Business School.
Jeffrey Halley
Jeffrey Halley

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