Latest News

Oil costs turn greater as Middle East ceasefire hopes subside

Oil prices rose in early Asian trading after hopes decreased that negotiations between Israel and Hamas would cause a ceasefire in Gaza and ease stress in the Middle East.

Brent crude futures increased 40 cents to $90.78 a barrel by 0032 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 35 cents to $86.78.

A fresh round of Israel-Hamas ceasefire conversations in Cairo had actually ended a multi-session rally on Monday, leading Brent to its very first decrease in five sessions and WTI its very first in seven on the prospect that geopolitical risks might ease.

However then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday an undefined date had been set for Israel's invasion of the Rafah enclave in Gaza, ending the hopes that briefly gripped the marketplace yesterday that geopolitical tensions in the region might be alleviating, Tony Sycamore, a market expert with IG, wrote in a note.

Hamas declined the most recent Israeli ceasefire proposition made at the talks in Cairo, a senior Hamas official also stated on Monday.

The market is continuing to weigh the danger of a disturbance to oil supply. An Iranian action to Israel's believed attack on its consulate in Syria could drag the oil market into the conflict, after being largely unimpacted since Hamas's attack on Israel, ANZ analysts said in a client note.

Tehran stated last week that it would take revenge after an airstrike that killed 2 of its generals and five military consultants in Damascus, although Israel has not claimed duty for the attack.

On the other hand, wider principles are supportive of prices, the ANZ analysts said. India's fuel demand struck a record high in the 2024 driven by greater gas and jet fuel usage, information revealed on Monday. An enhancement in Chinese production activity revealed recently is expected to boost fuel demand.

This week, the market will be seeing inflation information due from the U.S. and China today for further signals on the economic instructions of the world's top two oil customers.

In the Americas, Mexico's state oil company Pemex stated it would decrease crude exports by 330,000 barrels daily so it can supply more to domestic refineries, cutting the supply available to the business's U.S., Europe, and Asian purchasers by one-third.

(source: Reuters)