Crude Oil Prices Tick Up Following Trump-Putin Phone Call: Is It a Geopolitical Shift?

Crude oil prices saw a slight increase after President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising speculation about potential easing of geopolitical tensions and its impact on global oil supply. The call, focusing on de-escalation in Ukraine, comes amid increased scrutiny of Russian oil trade and sanctions enforcement. However, the market remains cautious, with oil prices experiencing recent volatility driven by factors like OPEC+ production decisions and China’s economic outlook.

Exxon Mobil Stock Dips as Oil Prices Plunge Amid Middle East Tensions

Shares of Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) are trading lower on Monday as crude oil prices experience a sharp decline, fueled by investor concerns over the potential impact of Israel’s airstrikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure. Despite the strikes targeting military facilities and not directly hitting oil production, the market remains apprehensive about the broader implications for regional stability.

Geopolitical Tensions Drive UCO ETF Surge: Iran-Israel Conflict Fuels Oil Price Volatility

Shares of ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil (UCO) are experiencing a significant surge, driven by heightened geopolitical tensions between Iran and Israel. The potential for conflict in the Middle East has created volatility in the energy sector, particularly impacting the price of oil. UCO, a leveraged ETF tracking WTI crude oil, is amplifying these price fluctuations, drawing attention from investors seeking to capitalize on the situation.

Crude Oil Prices Dip Despite Drop in Commercial Supplies

Crude oil futures declined on Wednesday despite a decline in commercial crude supplies, as the decrease was outweighed by a drop in gasoline demand and increased exports. The Energy Information Administration reported a 6.4 million barrel reduction in commercial crude oil stocks, bringing the total to 453.6 million barrels. However, gasoline demand fell by 239K barrels per day to 8.42 million barrels per day, below levels seen last year. The drop in gasoline demand, combined with a smaller-than-expected decrease in gasoline supply, eased concerns about a tight fuel market. Front-month Nymex crude for June delivery closed down 0.6% at $82.81/bbl, while June Brent crude finished down 0.4% at $88.02/bbl.

US Oil Inventories: API Data Differs from EIA Projections

An American Petroleum Institute (API) survey has reported conflicting data on US oil inventories, highlighting differences with the official report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). While the API survey had predicted a crude increase of 1.8 million barrels, the EIA report showed a much smaller increase of 528,000 barrels. Furthermore, the API survey’s projections for distillates (-0.9 million barrels) and gasoline (-1.4 million barrels) also diverged from the EIA’s reported declines of 1.2 million barrels and 1.3 million barrels, respectively.

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