WTI declines below $102.00 after Trump says he called off Iran attacks
- WTI price drifts lower to near $101.85 in Tuesday’s early Asian session.
- Trump said he called off the Iran attacks.
- Crude oil prices have been volatile after Iran effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $101.85 during the early Asian trading hours on Tuesday. The WTI price declines after US President Donald Trump said he was holding off a military attack on Iran planned for Tuesday at the request of Gulf states.
Bloomberg reported on Monday that Trump said that he’d called off a strike on Iran planned for Tuesday after an appeal by the leaders of Persian Gulf allies, who called for more time to pursue a diplomatic resolution. The US president added that Washington was prepared to attack if an acceptable deal wasn’t reached, but didn’t set a deadline.
Trump is scheduled to hold a meeting on Tuesday with his top national security advisers to discuss the options for military action regarding Iran.
The crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping lane remains effectively closed due to the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. A lack of progress towards a peace deal that will reopen the critical waterway could boost the WTI price in the near term.
Traders await the release of the American Petroleum Institute (API) report, which will be published later on Tuesday. A larger-than-expected crude oil inventory draw indicates stronger demand and could lift the WTI price, while a bigger build than estimated signals weaker demand or excess supply, which might weigh on the WTI price.
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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