Crude slips over 3% on Russian oil price cap talk

Oil prices fell by more than $2 a barrel on Wednesday as the Group of Seven (G7) nations looked at a price cap on Russian oil above where the crude grade is currently trading.

Brent crude futures fell $2.82, or 3.19 per cent, to $85.54 a barrel by 1450GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down $2.62, or 3.24 per cent, at $78.33 a barrel.

Both contracts fell by as much as $3/bbl after rising by over $1/ bbl earlier in the session, “following reports that the G7 price cap on Russian oil could be above the level it is trading at the moment”, said Giovanni Staunovo, commodity analyst at UBS.

G7 nations are looking at a price cap on Russian seaborne oil in the range of $65-70/bbl, according to a European official on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Urals crude delivered to northwest Europe is trading around $62-$63/bbl, although it is higher in the Mediterranean at around $67-$68/bbl, according to Refinitiv data.

Because production costs are estimated at around $20 per barrel, the cap would still make it profitable for Russia to sell its oil and in this way prevent a supply shortage on the global market.

A senior US Treasury official said on Tuesday that the price cap will probably be adjusted a few times a year.

The news added to demand concerns relating to top crude oil importer China, which has been grappling with a surge in Covid-19

On the bright side, the OECD does not envisage a global recession and maybe this helped oil prices and stocks strengthen further,” Tamas Varga,

Analyst at PVM Oil Associates

cases, with Shanghai tightening rules late on Tuesday.

Also adding pressure was an OECD economic outlook that sees a deceleration in global economic expansion next year.

“On the bright side, the OECD does not envisage a global recession and maybe this helped oil prices and stocks strengthen further,” said analyst Tamas Varga at PVM Oil Associates.

The market also awaits the minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s November policy meeting due at 1900GMT for clues on possible economic contraction and further rate hikes, Varga said. — reuters