Crude steadiesCrude prices managed to steady yesterday, having declined sharply since hitting a three-week high last Thursday. Front-month WTI was a touch firmer in early trade this morning as well. But it feels as if this could turn out to be nothing more than a brief pause before prices head downwards once again. The fundamental picture remains unchanged. Supply remains plentiful, and in the absence of a supply shock from either the Middle East or Eastern Europe, that situation is unlikely to change. The Trump election victory should encourage more US production through tax cuts and deregulation. The only question is whether US producers will want to increase output, given that they are already producing at record levels, and that crude prices are low. Meanwhile, demand isn’t keeping up with supply, and this explains why OPEC+ producers have extended their output cuts for an extra month, until the end of December. Chinese demand has fallen further than previously forecast. The world's biggest oil importer recorded a sixth consecutive decline in crude oil arrivals in October, and last week’s much-hyped fiscal stimulus will do little to change that. On Tuesday OPEC released its latest monthly report. It said world oil demand would rise by 1.82 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, down from last month’s forecast of 1.93 million bpd. It also reduced its demand growth forecast for 2025 to 1.54 million barrels per day, from 1.64 previously.
