Editorial & Advertiser disclosure

Global Banking and Finance Review is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

Headlines

Posted By Global Banking and Finance Review

Posted on January 29, 2025

Oil prices settle down as US stockpile grows, tariffs still in focus

By Shariq Khan

(Reuters) -Oil prices fell on Wednesday, with the U.S. benchmark settling at its lowest year to date, after domestic crude stockpiles in the world's top petroleum producer and consumer rose more than expected last week.

Brent crude futures settled down 91 cents, or 1.2%, at $76.58 a barrel. U.S. crude futures fell $1.15, or 1.6%, to $72.62, their lowest settlement price so far this year.

Crude oil stockpiles in the U.S. rose by 3.46 million barrels last week as refiner intake slumped for a third consecutive week, data from the Energy Information Administration showed.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 3.19-million-barrel increase. [EIA/S]

The White House on Tuesday reaffirmed President Donald Trump's plan to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico from Feb. 1. Near-term oil trade should remain choppy as investors digest the tariff threats, sanctions on Russian energy flows, and economic growth concerns in top consuming nations, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo wrote to clients on Wednesday.

"Considering the many prevailing uncertainties, we think a prudent approach is still warranted," Staunovo wrote. "While we expect prices to stay supported at current levels, news flow related to Trump is likely to drive volatility in the near term."

The U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday. The Fed gave little insight on when it plans to lower borrowing costs, which could boost economic activity and oil demand.

Traders are also looking ahead to an OPEC+ ministerial meeting scheduled for Feb. 3, with the group's plan to increase supply from April in focus.

Trump last week called on OPEC+ to lower oil prices. The group has yet to respond, but delegates said policy changes are unlikely at the February meeting.

Supply concerns have eased after Libya's National Oil Corp said on Tuesday that export activity was running normally after it held talks with protesters who had demanded a halt to loadings at one of the country's main oil ports.

"Libyan supplies will remain a risk as the country remains engaged in a civil war, but for now, the risk has been mitigated temporarily," StoneX analyst Alex Hodes said.

(Reporting by Shariq KhanAdditional reporting by Arunima Kumar, Naveen Thukral and Yuka ObayashiEditing by Jason Neely, David Goodman, Christina Fincher, Nia Williams, Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)

Recommended for you

  • The stark divide that South Africa's land act seeks to bridge

  • 'No thanks', white South Africans turn down Trump's immigration offer

  • Baltic states switch to European power grid, ending Russia ties