IEA Cuts Global Oil Demand on Trade War Concerns

The International Energy Agency (IEA) cut its global oil demand growth forecasts for this year and next on Friday, citing fears of an economic downturn as the U.S.-China trade war casts a shadow over markets.

The energy agency now expects oil demand growth to reach 1.1 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2019 and 1.3 million b/d in 2020.

That constitutes a downward revision of 100,000 b/d for this year and 50,000 b/d for next year.


West Texas Intermediate graph

In its closely-watched monthly oil report, the IEA said there was “growing evidence of an economic slowdown” with many large economies reporting weak gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first half of the year.

From January to May, oil demand rose by 520,000 b/d, marking the lowest rise in that period since the financial crisis in 2008.


Brent crude graph

“The situation is becoming even more uncertain,” the IEA said, before describing global oil demand growth in the first half of the year as “very sluggish.”

vai CNBC

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza