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The price of oil drops on the back of OPEC+ and tariff fears

The oil prices fell on Tuesday due to expectations that OPEC+ will increase their output in August, and fears of a slowdown in the economy caused by higher U.S. Tariffs.

Brent crude futures were down 16 cents or 0.24% to $66.58 per barrel at 0000 GMT. U.S.

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 20 cents or 0.31% to $64.91 per barrel.

Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ, said in a recent note that "the market is concerned the OPEC+ will continue to increase its output at an accelerated pace."

Four OPEC+ source told us last week that they plan to increase output by 411,000 barrels a day in August. This follows similar increases in May, July, and June.

If approved, OPEC+ would increase its total oil supply for the year by 1.78 million bpd. This is equivalent to over 1.5% of the global demand. OPEC and allies, including Russia, collectively known as OPEC+ will meet on the 6th of July.

Oil prices were also held back by uncertainty about U.S. Tariffs and their impact upon global growth.

U.S. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent warned countries that they could face a sharply increased tariff despite good faith negotiations, as the deadline of July 9 approaches. This is when tariff rates will revert to President Donald Trump’s temporarily suspended rates of 11 to 50 percent announced in April.

Morgan Stanley believes Brent futures will retrace back to $60 around early next year. The market is well-supplied and the geopolitical risks have abated following the de-escalation between Israel and Iran. It anticipates a surplus of 1.3m bpd by 2026.

Brent prices rose after a 12-day conflict that began on June 13, when Israel targeted Iran's nuclear installations. After the U.S. attacked Iran's nuclear sites, Brent prices soared over $80 per barrel. They then dropped to $67 a bar after Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. (Reporting by Anjana Anil in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

(source: Reuters)