Oil NEWS
WTI: Sellers in the driving seat around $93.00
WTI crude oil prices remain depressed after breaking the one-month-old symmetrical triangle to the south. That said, the black gold holds lower ground near $93.00, the lowest levels in two weeks, during Tuesday’s Asian session. Given the bearish MACD signals joining the triangle’s breakdown, the commodity prices are likely to decline further.
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EUR/USD turns south towards 1.0200 amid risk-aversion
EUR/USD is heading south towards 1.0200 in early Europe, as bulls failed to keep reins near the monthly high. Mounting US-China tensions over Taiwan and recession fears weigh on risk sentiment and help the dollar find demand as a safe haven.
GBP/USD tests 1.2200 as risk-off flows dominate
GBP/USD is trading deep in red near 1.2200, as investors turn away from higher-yielding assets such as the GBP. Despite falling US Treasury bond yields, the dollar manages to gather strength amid risk aversion. US Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is the main event risk this Tuesday.
USD/JPY finds support near 130.40 on Japanese jaw-boning
USD/JPY is rebounding towards 131.00, having found support near 130.40 after the Japanese Finance Minister expressed concerns about the rapid moves in the yen. Risk-aversion combined with the sell-off in the US dollar and yields keep the downside intact in the pair.
Gold bulls keep their sight on $1,786 amid Taiwan tensions
Gold price eases but upside remains favored amid escalating US-China tensions. The expected visit of US’ Pelosi to Taipei rattles markets amid China warnings. Gold bulls remain on track to test the critical resistance area at $1,786.
WTI: Sellers in the driving seat around $93.00
WTI crude oil prices remain depressed after breaking the one-month-old symmetrical triangle to the south. That said, the black gold holds lower ground near $93.00, the lowest levels in two weeks, during Tuesday’s Asian session. Given the bearish MACD signals joining the triangle’s breakdown, the commodity prices are likely to decline further.
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OIL HIGHLIGHTS
Crude oil is classified into various grades according to density (heavy vs light) and sulphur content (sour vs sweet). The lighter and sweeter the crude, the higher the price it can be sold, because refiners can produce higher yield of high quality refined products from it.
Density is measured by API gravity, a measure developed to compare the density of petroleum with water (API > 10 means the liquid floats on water) but is now widely used to compare among crude oils. API degree is inversely related to the density of crude oil. In general, crudes of API between 40-45 degrees can be sold at greatest commercial values.
Sulphur content determines the quality of a crude oil. This corrosive material decreases the purity of a crude oil. Therefore, a crude oil with high sulphur content (sour crude) should sell cheaper than one with low sulphur content (sweet crude). There are two main benchmarks for pricing Crude Oil: WTI (West Texas Intermediate) from USA and Brent from UK.
Major benchmarks
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is of very high quality. It has API gravity of 39.6 and sulphur content of 0.24% only. Its low density and low sulphur content gave it the name 'light, sweet crude' and enabled refiners to produce high yield of gasoline. Most WTI crude oil gets refined in the Midwest region of the country, with some more refined within the Gulf Coast region.
This type of crude oil is used as a benchmark in oil pricing and the underlying commodity of NYMEX's oil futures contracts. Due to its 'lightness' and 'sweetness', WTI crude is normally selling at about $1-$2/ barrel premium to Brent.
Brent is actually a blend of crude oil from 15 different oil fields the North Sea. It has API gravity of 38.3 degrees and sulphur content of around 0.37%. From these 2 parameters, we can see that Brent crude oil is heavier and less sweet than WTI crude. Brent is suitable for refinery of gasoline and middle distillates.
Brent was first traded on International Petroleum Exchange in London and then on Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) since 2005. Typically, price of Brent crude oil is around $1 lower than WTI. However, in 2007, due to the depletion of the North Sea Oil field, Brent Crude futures had traded at a premium to WTI of approximately $1 to $3 per barrel.
Oil and USD/CAD Correlation
Some of you may already be familiar with the special relationship between oil prices and the Canadian dollar. For those of you who aren't, let me fill you in on what you're missing!
There's a reason why Canadian dollar traders keep track of oil prices-- the two often move hand in hand. When oil prices move down, it's not uncommon to see the Loonie follow suit. Conversely, rising oil prices are usually accompanied by Loonie rallies. Why do these two share such a strong bond? It has a lot to do with Canada's economy.
Canada happens to be the world's seventh largest oil producer. In fact, it's the U.S.'s main supplier, as it sends about 2 million barrels of oil a day to its southern neighbor. Since Canadian dollars are needed to purchase and move oil across the border, the demand for oil tends to have a direct impact on USD/CAD price action.
It's interesting to see that aside from risk sentiment and fundamentals, oil also plays a big factor in Loonie price action. So the next time you think of trading USD/CAD, do yourself a big favor and take a peek at your oil charts. It could just give you critical insight to help you bag some Loonie pips!
Other important group of influent pairs includes: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/CHF and NZD/USD.