Brokers take on Oil Price22 Apr 2020 10:00
Crude prices plunged further yesterday as Monday’s panic continued, with no end in sight to the swelling global supply glut. The more actively traded June WTI contract briefly slipped into single-digits a day after traders had to pay $37.63 to get rid of their oil at settlement of the expiring May contract, with funds continuing to sell as they face shrinking storage space and a 30% plunge in global demand. US June futures traded a record of over two million contracts. US President Donald Trump called on the government to make funds available to the oil and gas industry, calling Monday’s crash a “financial squeeze” and talking up a halt to Saudi imports.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that major oil producers could hold further talks to discuss their new output deal if needed, while OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia said it was ready to take extra measures to stabilise oil markets.
US crude inventories were forecast to rise by c16.1mmbbls in the week to 17 April, after posting the biggest build in history last week, although the API reported a smaller 13.2mmbbls build post-session. Official EIA data is due today.
Brent fell $6.24, or 24%, to close at $19.33. The expiring May WTI contract rebounded from negative territory and expired at $10.01, as most open positions were settled on Monday. WTI for June, the front-month contract as of today, fell $8.86, or 43%, to $11.57. Brent’s session low of $17.51 was its lowest since November 2001, while the WTI second-month (June) touched a record low of $6.50.