Oil prices are falling on Monday after a strong rise at the end of last week.
The cost of September futures for Brent on the London-based ICE Futures exchange at 8:15 a.m. on Monday is $80.95 per barrel, down $0.12 (0.15%) from the previous session’s closing price. On Friday, these contracts rose $1.43 (1.8%) to $81.07 per barrel.
The price of WTI oil futures for September at the electronic trading of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) fell by $0.14 (0.18%) to $76.93 per barrel. At the end of previous trading, the cost of these contracts rose by $1.42 (1.9%), to $77.07 per barrel.
At the end of last week Brent rose by 1.5%, the cost of WTI rose by 2.3%, to the maximum since April 25.
Traders’ attention this week is focused on the Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting, which is expected to raise the rate by another 25 basis points. Continued tightening of monetary policy by the U.S. central bank raises the likelihood of a downturn in the economy and, consequently, lower demand for oil.
“Expectations of a new rate hike by the Fed are putting some pressure on the oil market, however, I believe that this event is largely already priced in,” notes Warren Patterson, who is responsible for commodities strategy at ING Groep NV.
The market is supported by expectations of lower supply amid Saudi Arabia’s production cuts.
The head of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol said on Bloomberg TV at the weekend that due to production cuts by a number of countries, the oil market may face a deficit in the second half of the year even though there is no significant growth in demand in China.
