Oil prices are falling on Monday, despite Israel’s expansion of ground operations in the Gaza Strip, to which Iran has already responded with threats.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced over the weekend that the country’s authorities had decided to move to the second phase of the operation, which will involve more troops directly in the Gaza Strip. Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a series of raids in the Gaza Strip.
Oil prices are falling as Israel “seems to be taking a cautious approach to the situation, which gives hope that the worst-case scenario of the conflict will not materialize,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management. Investors, however, should remember “that this is likely to be a long and protracted conflict,” the expert said, as quoted by Market Watch.
The cost of December futures for Brent crude oil on the London ICE Futures exchange as of 7:15 a.m. on Monday is $89.27 per barrel, which is $1.21 (1.34%) lower than at the close of the previous session. On Friday, the price of these contracts increased by $2.55 (2.9%) to $90.48 per barrel.
December futures for WTI in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) fell by $1.3 (1.52%) to $84.24 per barrel by this time. As a result of the previous trading, the value of these contracts increased by $2.33 (2.8%) to $85.54 per barrel.
Over the past week, Brent fell by 1.8% and WTI by 2.9%.
Investors are most concerned about the possibility of Iran’s direct involvement in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Tougher sanctions on Iranian oil could lead to a reduction in the supply of raw materials on the market by 1 million barrels per day. If the conflict escalates, the country could threaten transportation hubs and oil infrastructure in the region, Market Watch notes.
