WTI Price Forecast: Looks to reclaim $93.00 after defending 38.2% Fibo. support
- WTI stages a modest recovery from a nearly two-week low, touched on Monday.
- The geopolitical risk premium remains in play, lending support to the commodity.
- The technical setup favors bulls as focus remains on geopolitical developments.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) – the benchmark US Crude Oil price – attracts some buyers during the Asian session on Tuesday, snapping a four-day losing streak to sub-$91.00 levels, or a nearly two-week low touched the previous day. The commodity currently trades just below the $93.00 mark, up around 1.40% for the day, as the focus remains on the Middle East crisis.
In the latest developments, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Monday that it would change the geography of the war if the US escalates the conflict. This keeps the geopolitical risk premium in play and acts as a tailwind for crude oil prices. Meanwhile, improving shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and rising hopes for US-Iran talks at the UN General Assembly might cap the upside for the black liquid.
Crude oil prices hold a bullish bias above the 100-day simple moving average (SMA) at $85.05 and a Fibonacci support band between the 61.8% retracement at $84.27 and the 38.2% retracement at $90.96. That said, momentum indicators have eased, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovering near a neutral 54 and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) slipping below its signal line and turning negative on the histogram.
The technical setup, in turn, suggests the latest pullback is more a consolidation within an uptrend than a full-fledged reversal while oil prices stay supported over these structural levels. Meanwhile, weakness below the 38.2% Fibo. level at $90.96 would expose the 50.0% retracement at $87.61 and the deeper 61.8% level at $84.27, all reinforcing the underlying demand zone ahead of the 100-day SMA at $85.05 and lower Fibonacci anchors at $79.51 and $73.44.
On the topside, immediate resistance emerges at the 23.6% retracement at $95.10, with a break above this threshold exposing the cycle high region near $101.79, where buyers could begin to face more pronounced profit-taking pressures.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
WTI daily chart
WTI Oil FAQs
WTI Oil is a type of Crude Oil sold on international markets. The WTI stands for West Texas Intermediate, one of three major types including Brent and Dubai Crude. WTI is also referred to as “light” and “sweet” because of its relatively low gravity and sulfur content respectively. It is considered a high quality Oil that is easily refined. It is sourced in the United States and distributed via the Cushing hub, which is considered “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. It is a benchmark for the Oil market and WTI price is frequently quoted in the media.
Like all assets, supply and demand are the key drivers of WTI Oil price. As such, global growth can be a driver of increased demand and vice versa for weak global growth. Political instability, wars, and sanctions can disrupt supply and impact prices. The decisions of OPEC, a group of major Oil-producing countries, is another key driver of price. The value of the US Dollar influences the price of WTI Crude Oil, since Oil is predominantly traded in US Dollars, thus a weaker US Dollar can make Oil more affordable and vice versa.
The weekly Oil inventory reports published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Agency (EIA) impact the price of WTI Oil. Changes in inventories reflect fluctuating supply and demand. If the data shows a drop in inventories it can indicate increased demand, pushing up Oil price. Higher inventories can reflect increased supply, pushing down prices. API’s report is published every Tuesday and EIA’s the day after. Their results are usually similar, falling within 1% of each other 75% of the time. The EIA data is considered more reliable, since it is a government agency.
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a group of 12 Oil-producing nations who collectively decide production quotas for member countries at twice-yearly meetings. Their decisions often impact WTI Oil prices. When OPEC decides to lower quotas, it can tighten supply, pushing up Oil prices. When OPEC increases production, it has the opposite effect. OPEC+ refers to an expanded group that includes ten extra non-OPEC members, the most notable of which is Russia.
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