West Texas Intermediate is rising 0.55 percent on Friday, with Brent making a smaller upwards move at 0.05 percent. Question marks about how and when will energy producers increase production to cover the supply fallout from the official start of US sanctions against Iran.
The sanctions start on November 4, but already Iranian exports have fallen given how the US communicated that it would not tolerate any cooperation.
The Trump administration has called out the OPEC for not doing enough to keep crude prices low, but ironically it’s the sanctions imposed by the administration that have put oil prices higher.
On a weekly basis WTI and Brent have advanced ore than 2 percent as US Secretary Rick Perry has taken off the table the option to use the emergency oil reserves to bring prices down.
Reports circulated that Russia and Saudi Arabia are ready to increase oil production, but if they have agreed they said nothing after the OPEC met with major producers on September 23 in Algiers.
Oil prices will continue to fluctuate upwards until there are confirmations that energy producers are ready to offset the lost supply from Iran.
The weekly crude inventories report will be published on Thursday at 11:00 am EDT due to the Columbus Day holiday in the states.
