Finance1 min read

US oil prices fall as investors gauge risks to Mideast supply

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

West Texas Intermediate slipped 0.9 percent to trade near session lows, relinquishing part of the three percent surge logged during the prior trading session. The price adjustment coincides with recent Houthi strikes targeting Aden airport as well as an alleged missile launch at Saudi Arabia's top oil refinery. Diplomatic resolutions face persistent friction after Tehran dismissed an updated ceasefire framework presented by Qatari intermediaries.

Key points

  • Energy markets remain volatile as traders balance immediate geopolitical risks with fluct…: Energy markets remain volatile as traders balance immediate geopolitical risks with fluctuating regional supply disruption fears.
  • Unconfirmed strikes against major Saudi refining infrastructure highlight persistent thre…: Unconfirmed strikes against major Saudi refining infrastructure highlight persistent threats to Middle Eastern crude production capacity.
  • Negotiations to halt broader hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States cont…: Negotiations to halt broader hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States continue to encounter substantial diplomatic resistance.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

TOKYO, Oct 29 : Benchmark US crude futures fell around $1 on Thursday, paring some of the previous day's gains, as traders weighed the risk that escalating Middle East conflict could further disrupt regional energy supplies.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 92 cents, or 0.9 per cent, at $101.86, after dropping as low as $101.75 a barrel. They had risen 3 per cent on Wednesday.

Yemen's Houthis attacked Aden airport on Wednesday, government forces said, after the Iran-aligned group warned people to evacuate it as fighting surged in the impoverished country ensnared in the Middle East conflict.

On Tuesday, the Houthis said they hit Saudi Arabia's biggest oil refinery with a missile, as they stepped up strikes against the world's second-largest crude producer after the US.

Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the strike on the 550,000-barrel-per-day facility.

Qatari mediators have presented Iran with a new draft deal to end the war with the US and Israel, an official briefed on the negotiations said, but a senior Iranian official described them only as unacceptable ideas that…

Finance