Oil prices are rising on Monday amid continued tensions in the Middle East.
The United States on Saturday launched a new strike on Yemen in response to the launch of a ballistic missile by the Yemeni Houthis at shipping lanes in the Red Sea. According to Western media, the strike hit a single target – a radar used by the Houthis.
On Friday, the United States and the United Kingdom launched a series of airstrikes on military facilities belonging to the Houthis in Yemen.
The cost of March futures for Brent crude oil on the London ICE Futures exchange as of 7:20 a.m. is $78.49 per barrel, which is $0.2 (0.26%) higher than at the close of the previous trading. On Friday, these contracts rose by $0.88 (1.1%) to $78.29 per barrel.
Futures for WTI for February in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) have risen in price by this time by $0.12 (0.17%) to $72.8 per barrel. As a result of the previous trading, the value of these contracts increased by $0.66 (0.9%) to $72.68 per barrel.
On Friday, the rise in the price of Brent at one point exceeded 4%, but by the end of the session it was only 1.1%. Over the past week, Brent fell by 0.6%, while WTI fell by 1.5%.
Market fluctuations show that traders currently do not see any serious risks of a reduction in oil production in the Middle East and oil supplies from the region due to the current conflict, Bloomberg writes.
Currently, prices “do not include a geopolitical risk premium, so Brent could rise above $80 per barrel if the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate,” said Rob Tammel, portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital Advisors, as quoted by Market Watch.
“Currently, events in the region do not affect the supply of oil on the world market,” said Warren Patterson, who is responsible for commodity strategy at ING Groep NV. – “In the absence of supply disruptions, the situation on the oil market remains comfortable, despite the Middle East tensions.
