WTI bulls move in on supply side concerns, but the Fed looms

On Monday, the price of West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, crude oil increased as supply-side concerns outweighed fears of weakening demand. At the time of writing, WTI is trading at $73.40, a 0.1% increase from its low of $73.27. It has risen from a low of $73.27 to a high of $73.51.

Despite the upcoming US consumer Price index and Federal Reserve meeting, supply concerns have trumped recession concerns in the most recent sessions. The Fed is likely to raise interest rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday, following the release of today's inflation data from other U.S. states, which might bolster the Fed's reputation.

"Core prices likely increased by 0.3% month-over-month in November, for the second consecutive month. We anticipate that goods deflation will once again serve as a counterbalance to shelter inflation. Importantly, the November decline in gas prices is anticipated to bring respite to the CPI. Overall, our m/m predictions imply a 7.3%/6.1% YoY increase in total/core pricing," TD Securities analysts stated.

The money markets presently assign a probability of about 75% that the US central bank would raise rates by 50 basis points following four consecutive rate hikes of 75 basis points. However, other observers believe that the event will have a hawkish consequence.