Oil dips on Beijing's Covid warning, fears of rate hikes to curb inflation

Brent crude was down $1.86, or 1.5%, to $120.15 at 0907 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was down $2.15, or 1.8%, at $118.52.

oil, crude
(Photo: Bloomberg)
Reuters LONDON
2 min read Last Updated : Jun 13 2022 | 4:25 PM IST

By Alex Lawler

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil dropped about $2 a barrel on Monday as a flare-up in COVID-19 cases in Beijing dented hopes of a Chinese demand rebound, while worries about more interest rate hikes to control rampant inflation added further pressure.

Beijing's most populous district Chaoyang announced three rounds of mass testing to quell a "ferocious" COVID-19 outbreak that emerged last week. Mass testing would take place until Wednesday.

Brent crude was down $1.86, or 1.5%, to $120.15 at 0907 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down $2.15, or 1.8%, at $118.52.

"The present price fall is exacerbated by warnings of a 'ferocious' spread of the COVID virus in Beijing by officials, casting doubt on immediate demand recovery," said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM.

Concern about further rate hikes, heightened by Friday's U.S. inflation data showing the U.S. consumer price index rose 8.6% last month, also pushed oil lower and weighed across financial markets. [MKTS/GLOB]

The data put markets on alert that the Federal Reserve may tighten policy for too long and cause a sharp slowdown. The next Fed policy decision is on Wednesday.

Oil has surged in 2022 as Russia's invasion of Ukraine compounded supply concerns and as oil demand recovered from COVID lockdowns. Brent hit $139, the highest since 2008, in March, and both oil benchmarks rose more than 1% last week.

Supply remains tight, with OPEC and its allies unable to deliver in full on pledged output increases because of a lack of capacity in many producers, sanctions on Russia, and output in Libya roughly halved by unrest.

"The supply/demand dynamics remain supportive of prices," said Jeffery Halley of brokerage OANDA, who sees an extended oil sell-off as unlikely "unless U.S. markets move to price in a full-blown recession" and there are new lockdowns in China.

 

(Additional reporting by Florence Tan and Mohi Narayan; Editing by Mark Potter)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :CoronavirusInflationCrude Oil PricesBeijingInterest rate hikeBrent crude

First Published: Jun 13 2022 | 4:25 PM IST

Next Story