Crude Oil Market Update

Last Tuesday, May 31, the leaders of the countries of the European Union agreed on the sixth package of economic sanctions, which included an embargo on the import of two-thirds of Russian "black gold". Against this backdrop, Brent Crude Oil quotes reached new highs around 122.

The new restrictive measures include a ban on the import of energy resources transported by sea, but do not affect supplies to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline. Officials also said that by the end of the year they would refuse 90% of Russian oil imports, in exchange for which the EU plans to purchase energy carriers in Asia and Arab countries, as well as in the United States, but it will take time to adjust to new logistics. Due to the artificially limited supply on the black gold market and the growing demand for raw materials in Europe, Brent Crude Oil quotes showed a rapid increase and stopped at around 122.00 this week, updating the high of March 24.

Now the trading instrument is correcting in anticipation of the OPEC+ meeting, which will discuss the possibility of adjusting the production of "black gold" against the backdrop of the continuation of a special military operation in Eastern Europe, initiated by the Russian authorities, as well as its consequences for the energy market. Participants are expected to continue to adhere to the current 432K barrels per day production recovery plan, despite the EU authorities' decision.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is ready to increase the production of "black gold" if it suddenly needs to compensate for the falling volumes from the Russian side. In turn, the United States offered Saudi Arabia to increase energy supplies to the EU and exclude Russia from the OPEC+ deal in exchange for unblocking arms supplies, but official Riyadh did not agree to take this step.

Summing up, one can conclude that if the increase in the rate of oil production by OPEC+ countries occurs according to a pre-approved plan, then prices will continue to rise in the future due to increased demand and insufficient supply. However, if a decision is made on an emergency adjustment in order to replace volumes of Russian oil, the instrument may head towards 100 in the long term.



The long-term trend is upward. After updating the March 24 high, the price decreases and approaches the support level of 114.50, and if it is held by the "bulls", the growth will continue with the target at the May high. Otherwise, the correction will continue to the level of 107.15. The medium-term trend is upward. This week the target zone 2 (118.57?117.67) was broken out, and the next target is in the area of 127.57?126.67. Now the price is correcting and approaching the key trend support at 114.31?113.41, after reaching which new purchases can be considered with the first target at the high of the current week.

Resistance levels: 122, 129, 135 | Support levels: 114.5, 107.15, 101.9

OPEC's ability to increase production has been exhausted.
Yesterday, OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said that the cartel was running out of opportunities to increase the production of "black gold." According to the official, the production capacities of the participating countries, except for two or three states, are at their peak, and in this situation, there are practically no opportunities to influence the rise in prices. Barkindo added that the market could expect even more turmoil as China recovers from a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic and boosts demand significantly. He also called for increased investment in the oil and gas sector, although the US authorities have previously called for a stop to financing fossil fuels, switching to renewable energy.

During the hearings of the US Committee on Foreign Affairs, US State Department Senior Energy Security Adviser Amos Hochstein expressed concern that India had increased its purchases of Russian oil from 100K barrels per day to 800K and urged official New Delhi to curb this trend, despite strong dependence on supplies. One of the main reasons for the observed dynamics is a significant discount for the Urals brand relative to the oil price for Brent Crude Oil. According to the official, if the country refuses to import resources from the Russian Federation, then there will be no other buyer for them, so these purchases will not look like a blow to European and American consumers who have already refused to cooperate with the Russian authorities under the sixth economic package sanctions.

Thus, there are almost no factors that can put pressure on the asset's quotes on the market now, in connection with which many experts spoke about the possibility of oil prices rising to 150 dollars or more by the end of 2022.



After the breakout of the upper border of the Triangle pattern, the price works out a signal to open long positions. At the moment, indicator Alligator's EMA oscillation range is actively expanding upwards, and the histogram of the AO oscillator is forming rising bars high in the buying zone.

Resistance levels: 122.2, 130 | Support levels: 113.8, 97.5

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Crude Oil, prices for "black gold" are slightly reduced
During the Asian session, Brent Crude Oil prices are traded in different directions, consolidating near 117.00. Yesterday, the instrument moderately declined in response to the publication of macroeconomic statistics on energy reserves, which slightly eased experts' fears regarding oil supply on the market.

In particular, the International Energy Agency (IEA) report indicated an increase in commercial oil reserves worldwide by 77M barrels in April compared to March. The positive dynamics were confirmed by the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy (EIA) statistics: as of June 10, the indicator rose by 2M barrels, while analysts expected it to decrease by 1.3M barrels. The overall level of oil production in the United States also increased by 100K barrels per day to a combined level of 12M barrels per day. The OPEC report reflects that demand from market participants remained around 3.4M barrels per day, amounting to 100.3M barrels per day. The cartel is confident that the resumption of scheduled air travel after the coronavirus pandemic and the elimination of disruptions in supply chains will maintain positive momentum.

In turn, quotes continue to be supported by the prospect of a decrease in oil supply on the market with a moderate increase in consumption. Thus, the export of resources from the Russian Federation is currently difficult since Western countries are actively introducing new blocking sanctions against the Russian economy in response to a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine. Analysts note that the decline in the production of raw materials in Russia will be compensated by the growth in production in the Middle East and the United States, but only partially.



On the daily chart, Bollinger bands reverse into a horizontal plane: the price range remains practically unchanged, reflecting the flat nature of trading in the short term. The MACD indicator is falling, keeping a strong sell signal (the histogram is below the signal line). Stochastic shows similar dynamics, approaching its lows and indicating that the instrument may become oversold in the ultra-short term.

Resistance levels: 120, 123.24, 125.85, 128.6 | Support levels: 116, 114.09, 112, 109



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