WTI crude oil futures settle at $109.33

The price of WTI  crude oil 
Crude Oil

Crude oil is the most popular tradable instrument in the energy sector, offering exposure to global market conditions, geopolitical risk, and economics. The instrument is strategically relied upon and situated in the global economy. Crude oil has proven to be a unique option for traders given volatility and the efficacy of both swing trading and longer-term strategies. Despite its popularity, crude oil is a very complex investing instrument, given the litany of fluctuations in oil prices, risk, and impact of politics stemming from OPEC. Short for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC operates as an intergovernmental organization of 13 countries, helping set and dictate the global oil market.How to Trade Crude Oil Crude oil is most commonly traded as an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or through other instruments with exposure to it. This includes energy stocks, the USD/CAD, and other investing options. Crude oil itself is traded across a duality of markets, including the West Texas Intermediate Crude (WTI) and Brent crude. Brent is the more relied upon index in recent years, while WTI is more heavily traded across futures trading at the time of writing. Other than geopolitical events or decisions by OPEC, crude oil can move due to a variety of different ways.  The most basic is through simple supply and demand, which is affected by global output. Increased industrial output, economic prosperity, and other factors all play a role in crude prices. By extension, recessions, lockdowns, or other stifling factors can also influence crude prices. For example, an oversupply or mitigated demand due to the aforementioned factors would result in lower crude prices. This is due to traders selling crude oil futures or other instruments.  Should demand rise or production plateau, traders will bid increasingly on crude, whereby driving prices up.

Crude oil is the most popular tradable instrument in the energy sector, offering exposure to global market conditions, geopolitical risk, and economics. The instrument is strategically relied upon and situated in the global economy. Crude oil has proven to be a unique option for traders given volatility and the efficacy of both swing trading and longer-term strategies. Despite its popularity, crude oil is a very complex investing instrument, given the litany of fluctuations in oil prices, risk, and impact of politics stemming from OPEC. Short for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC operates as an intergovernmental organization of 13 countries, helping set and dictate the global oil market.How to Trade Crude Oil Crude oil is most commonly traded as an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or through other instruments with exposure to it. This includes energy stocks, the USD/CAD, and other investing options. Crude oil itself is traded across a duality of markets, including the West Texas Intermediate Crude (WTI) and Brent crude. Brent is the more relied upon index in recent years, while WTI is more heavily traded across futures trading at the time of writing. Other than geopolitical events or decisions by OPEC, crude oil can move due to a variety of different ways.  The most basic is through simple supply and demand, which is affected by global output. Increased industrial output, economic prosperity, and other factors all play a role in crude prices. By extension, recessions, lockdowns, or other stifling factors can also influence crude prices. For example, an oversupply or mitigated demand due to the aforementioned factors would result in lower crude prices. This is due to traders selling crude oil futures or other instruments.  Should demand rise or production plateau, traders will bid increasingly on crude, whereby driving prices up.
Read this Term futures settle at $109.33. That’s up $3.31 or 3.12% for the day. The high price this week reached $130.50 in the early hours of trading on Monday. The low price reached $103.63 on Wednesday.

Last Friday, the price settle at $115.68. So for the week, the price of crude oil is actually lower by $6.35 or -5.49%.

Looking at the hourly chart, the price is settling below its 200 hour moving average at $113.26. It’s 100 hour moving average is higher at $115.77. Get above those levels will be needed to increase the shorter-term bullish bias. On the downside a move below the low for the week at $103.63 would open the door for a retest of the $100 level.

The oil market has been pushed and pulled by the ebbs and flows of the news out of Ukraine. but also by the ebbs and flows of the news on the Iran nuclear deal.

That combination could blow up if the talks with Iran break up and there is more escalation of the war in Ukraine.

Recall, this week, the US and UK announced that they would cease imports of Russian oil. Meanwhile the EU said that they would look to decrease reliance by two thirds in 2022. In Iran progress is said to be close to a deal, but a final agreement has still not been reached.

Supply and demand fundamentals are in play, but there can be a big influence in the oil market price on expectations as well. If expectations toward an Iran agreement, along with decreased tension in Ukraine, and/or lower demand as a result of lower growth from higher prices (or myriad of other reasons), and the expectation curve can reverse and move to the downside.

Watch the price action on the charts for clues going forward.