Oil prices are likely to ease, not plummet, as the U.S.-Iran interim peace deal lets shipments through the Strait of Hormuz resume and at the same time countries replenish reserves, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday.
Oil prices retreated in Asia on Thursday afternoon as traders bet on a swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments are typically transported.
Oil prices fell in early trading on Thursday after the U.S. and Iran signed an interim agreement that would end the Iran war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and waive U.S. sanctions on Tehran's oil, resolving the largest energy supply disruption in history.
Oil fell in early Asian trade on prospects of a fast reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. crude oil inventories fell for a 10th straight week last week as demand surged, pushing total stockpiles to their lowest level since 1985 as the Iran war continues to upend global energy markets, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.
Commercial crude oil stocks were down by 8.3 million barrels as net imports decreased and refineries ran near full capacity.
Former institutional trader Kevin Muir pushes against the market tide with a call to buy oil now.
At least three tankers carrying Iranian oil have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade this week, with a fourth, an empty vessel, heading towards the Gulf of Oman, after the U.S. and Iran agreed a framework deal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed.
The Middle East crude market weakened sharply this week, slipping into discounts, Reuters data showed, after the United States and Iran agreed a framework deal to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, brightening the global supply outlook.
Oil futures rose in early Asian trade on a likely technical recovery after futures fell for a fourth consecutive session on Tuesday.
Potential Tropical Cyclone One has formed off the Texas coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a Tuesday advisory, warning of heavy rainfall and dangerous flash flooding along the energy corridor that includes major offshore drilling and refining assets.
The U.S. will allow Iran to immediately begin selling oil and fuel under the memorandum of understanding the two sides reached to end war, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the agreement.