US-Venezuela Secondary Tariffs vs. OPEC Output Hikes: Will Oil Prices Remain Trapped in a Downturn?

Source Tradingkey

TradingKey – U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of secondary tariffs on Venezuela, a major holder of crude oil reserves, has heightened supply concerns and pushed oil prices up by more than 1%. However, prevailing market dynamics and renewed OPEC production increases may continue to cap further gains.

On Monday, March 24, Trump declared that the U.S. would escalate economic sanctions against Venezuela, citing, among other reasons, the country’s alleged deliberate dispatch of tens of thousands of criminals to the U.S. Under the new measures, any country purchasing Venezuelan oil or natural gas will be subject to a 25% secondary tariff payable to the U.S.

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, accounting for 17% of the global supply as of 2023. Major buyers include firms from the U.S., China, Cuba, India, and Europe.

Following the announcement, both WTI and Brent crude prices rose by over 1%. Analysts noted that Venezuela’s position as a key global oil supplier means the imposition of  Trump’s tariffs could cause a short-term supply shock, lending temporary support to prices.

However, the rally quickly lost momentum. As of press time on March 25 WTI crude was down 0.06% at $69.07 per barrel, while Brent edged 0.03% to $72.35 per barrel.

According to Reuters, sources suggest that OPEC is expected to proceed with plans to raise oil output in May - marking its second consecutive monthly increase since rolling back the significant production cuts enacted in 2022.

Industry experts argue that factors such as low inventories, rising seasonal demand during the summer months, and waning compliance with production limits justify OPEC’s gradual easing of restrictions.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Central Bank has warned that the combined ability of the U.S. and OPEC to inject large volumes of oil into the market could risk triggering a prolonged slump reminiscent of the 1980s. In addition, non-OPEC producers like Guyana, Brazil, and Kazakhstan are expanding output, further contributing to downward pressure on prices.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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Author  Mitrade
14 hours ago
Bitcoin has dropped back below $88,000 after rolling over from $90,500, with price still trading under the 100-hour Simple Moving Average. The sell-off found a floor at $85,151, and BTC is now consolidating near that base, but rebounds are facing pressure from a bearish trend line around $89,000. Bulls need to retake $88,000–$89,000 to ease downside risk; failure to do so keeps $85,500–$85,000 and then $83,500 in play, with $80,000 as the deeper “line in the sand.” Bitcoin (BTC) is back in damage-control mode after a sharp pullback wiped out recent gains. The price failed to reclaim the $90,000–$90,500 band, rolled over, and slid through $88,500 before briefly dipping under $87,000. Buyers did show up around $85,000, but the rebound so far looks more like stabilization than a clear trend reversal. Bitcoin dips hard, finds a bid near $85,000(h3) BTC’s latest move lower began when it couldn’t build follow-through above $90,000 and $90,500. Once that upside stalled, sellers took control and pushed price down through $88,500. The slide accelerated enough to spike below $87,000, but the market didn’t free-fall. Bulls defended the $85,000 zone, printing a low at $85,151. Since then, Bitcoin has been consolidating below the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement of the drop from the $93,560 swing high to the $85,151 low — a clue that the bounce is still shallow and that sellers haven’t fully backed off yet. Structurally, BTC is still on the back foot: It’s trading below $88,000, and It remains below the 100-hour Simple Moving Average, keeping short-term trend pressure pointed downward. Resistance is layered, and $89,000 is the problem area(h3) If bulls try to turn this into a recovery, they’ll have to climb through multiple ceilings in quick succession. First, BTC faces resistance around $87,150, followed by a more meaningful barrier near $87,500. From there, the market’s attention snaps back to $88,000 — the level BTC just lost and now needs to reclaim. A close back above $88,000 would improve the tone, but it doesn’t solve the bigger issue: there’s a bearish trend line on the hourly BTC/USD chart (Kraken feed) with resistance near $89,000, which also lines up with the next technical hurdle. If BTC can push through $89,000 and hold, the rebound could extend toward $90,000, with follow-through targets at $91,000 and $91,500. But until price clears that $88,000–$89,000 zone, rallies are at risk of being sold rather than chased. If BTC fails to reclaim resistance, the downside path is clear(h3) The near-term bear case is simple: if Bitcoin can’t climb back above the $87,000 area and keep traction, sellers may attempt another leg lower. Support levels line up like this: Immediate support: $85,500 First major support: $85,000 Next support: $83,500 Then $82,500 in the near term Below that, the major “don’t break this” level is still $80,000. If BTC slips under $80,000, the risk of acceleration to the downside increases significantly — not because it’s magic, but because it’s the kind of psychological and structural level that tends to trigger forced de-risking. Indicators: momentum still leans bearish(h3) The intraday indicators aren’t offering much comfort yet: Hourly MACD is losing pace in the bearish zone. Hourly RSI remains below 50, suggesting sellers still have the upper hand on short timeframes. So while the $85,000 defense held for now, the market hasn’t flipped bullish — it’s just stopped bleeding.
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Author  FXStreet
16 hours ago
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Author  Mitrade
Yesterday 05: 48
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