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June 28 - According to foreign media reports on the 27th, citing official Iranian data, Irans inflation rate in June rose sharply to 88.6% year-on-year, affected by the Middle East conflict.On June 28, Iran launched a drone strike on Bahrain on Saturday, while simultaneously attacking a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, possibly in response to a US nighttime airstrike. The attacks in the Persian Gulf once again demonstrate that even with a provisional agreement between Iran and the US attempting to reach a final ceasefire, the Iran-Iraq war could still spiral out of control. This comes after the US Central Command stated that it launched strikes against Iran on June 26 in response to the attack on a merchant ship. Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organization announced on Saturday that it would widen the strait near Oman to allow two-way passage. This move could reignite tensions with Tehran, which views the strait as a key bargaining chip in ongoing negotiations with the US.On June 28, CNBC reported that an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked by artillery fire on Saturday, the latest development in escalating tensions between the United States and Iran after the two sides reached a provisional agreement aimed at ending hostilities in the region. The UKs Maritime Trade Action Centre stated that a vessel in the strait was hit by an "unidentified flying object," sustaining damage, but the crew was reportedly unharmed. Bahrain also condemned Irans drone attack on Saturday, calling it a "blatant violation" of its sovereignty. These new attacks come as the US and Iran were supposed to be in the midst of a 60-day ceasefire negotiation, discussing ending the war. However, both countries have accused the other of violating the terms of the agreement.Domestic News: 1. my country achieves significant breakthrough in the research and development of superconducting magnets for nuclear fusion reactors. 2. Wuhan Optics Valley introduces a package of new policies for science and technology finance, aiming to have over 100 listed companies. 3. National Bureau of Statistics: Industrial enterprise profits increased by 18.8% year-on-year in the first five months, with the electronics industry contributing over 40%. 4. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing emphasized during his research visit to Zhejiang the need to strengthen the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. International News: 1. US Secretary of State Rubio: Pushing for Trumps visit to India early next year. 2. The US government may lift restrictions on the Anthropic Fable 5 model as early as next week. 3. ECB Executive Board member Schnabel: Price pressures may remain stronger than expected, and further interest rate hikes are anticipated. 4. A magnitude 6 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, with tremors felt in the capital, Kabul. 5. Middle East Situation—① Israeli Army Radio: The Israeli army will reduce its forces in southern Lebanon and withdraw several combat brigades. ② Joint Maritime Information Center: The maritime security threat level in the Taiwan Strait has been raised from "moderate" to "high". ③ Following the Iranian Revolutionary Guards strikes on vessels violating regulations, more ships are seeking permission from Iran. ④ After the framework agreement between Lebanon, Israel, and the US, the Israeli military launched another attack on southern Lebanon. ⑤ Hezbollah: The Israel-Lebanon framework agreement is invalid, and it refuses to link Israeli troop withdrawal with Hezbollahs disarmament. On June 27th, European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board member Schnabel warned that even if a US-Iran peace agreement reopens the Strait of Hormuz, price pressures could still be stronger than expected. Schnabel stated on Saturday that "food, goods, and services inflation face upside risks," and that energy price shocks could spread to a wider range of sectors. While welcoming the recent drop in energy prices due to the prospect of a US-Iran peace agreement, she warned that a ceasefire should not be a reason for complacency. She stated, "Uncertainty remains high, but the announced peace agreement reduces the likelihood of a negative scenario." Nevertheless, oil prices are expected to remain high because the Strait of Hormuz is only gradually reopening. Schnabel, considered the most hawkish member of the Governing Council, reiterated that "the ECB expects further interest rate hikes to bring inflation back to 2% in the medium term." She noted that consumer inflation expectations have risen. However, there are no signs of wage pressures yet.

WTI struggles to prolong its two-day uptrend below $78, as negative sentiment undermines expectations for China-led oil demand

Daniel Rogers

Mar 02, 2023 15:46

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Following a two-day uptrend that reached the greatest levels in a fortnight, the price of WTI crude oil fluctuates between $77.80 and $90 early Thursday.

 

The recent struggles of the black gold may be related to the contradictory signals encircling China and the Oil equities. However, negative sentiment and the resurgence of the US Dollar appear to be the quote's greatest obstacles to the upside.

 

In addition, higher-than-anticipated US inventories weigh on the energy benchmark. The weekly data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates a 1.165M increase in Oil inventories, compared to the expected 0.45M increase and the previous level of 7.648M.

 

The willingness of US President Joseph Biden to continue pumping the markets with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and the absence of offers for Russian Oil also exert downward pressure on the price of WTI crude oil.

 

The latest New York Times (NYT) headlines suggest a potential rift between the United States and China at the important event. According to the news, "China is urging the start of peace talks, and some Group of 20 nations may support that notion when they meet in India, but U.S. officials contend Russia would not negotiate in good faith."

 

It should be noted, however, that the recent uptick in China activity data and optimistic remarks from the dragon nation's policymakers keep black gold purchasers optimistic. China's Minister of Human Resources recently stated, "China's employment will continue to increase this year and remains stable overall." On Wednesday, China's Finance Minister Liu He expressed a willingness to increase the country's fiscal expenditure while noting that the foundation of China's economic recovery remains fragile.

 

However, hawkish remarks from policymakers of the US Federal Reserve (Fed), the Bank of England (BoE), and the European Central Bank (ECB) highlighted the need for additional rate hikes to combat inflation issues, which exerted downward pressure on the price of oil.

 

In response to these events, 10-year US Treasury bond yields surpassed 4% for the first time since early November 2022, while 2-year yields ascended to their highest levels since June 2007 by flashing 4.91%. The increase in US Treasury bond yields reflects the market's concerns, which in turn have impacted on bulls on Wall Street, S&P 500 Futures, and WTI bulls recently. Consequently, S&P 500 Futures were down 0.5 percent as of press time despite the varied closing of Wall Street benchmarks.

 

Moving on, G20 updates could be combined with comments from central bankers and secondary US data to amuse Oil traders.