Blue Index - commodity comment

BlueIndex

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A possible short term low in crude

It has been an exciting year in the oil markets, and there have been some volatile sessions recently suggesting a short term low. Most of the press has focused on the path of various storms (Gustav is ready to hit the Gulf of Mexico as we write), trouble in Ossetia, and the state of the US driving season, but there are more important factors at play. First there was the unwinding of all the short positions that were taken after the speculative blow off which saw crude up to almost $150, and second, the dollar has been strong across the board for the last few weeks. There is also the question of the supply/ demand balance in China, which still looks robust, and finally OPEC have been stubbornly quiet aswell recently.

All in all, the decline now looks over, and at the end of last week there was a big surge of buying which broke the immediate trading range. A retest of the lows of $112 looks to have been successful, and if it can hold here around $120, then crude is going up and the first stop should be $129. Only acceptance below $110 would reassert the recent bear trend, so CFD players can use a variety of monthly US and UK contracts, or of course turn to longstanding favourites Cairn Energy or Tullow Oil.

Blue Index :|
 
I think there is a greater than 50% chance you ar right. We will have to await the carnage, or lack thereof post the Gustav holiday weekend.
Maybe the trade to have on after the carnage is short TI long Brent
 
Crude oil gets a boost from news that September saw a combination of Saudi and Iranian production cuts amounting to 800,000 barrels a day, but like most markets all eyes are currently on the US bailout, with the delay undercutting commodities. However, it would appear that crude is underpinned above $100 for now on production issues

Blue Index :|
 
At the moment we don't care about production. We're worried about falling demand in China and the potential release of light sweet barrels from the SPR to be replaced by heavy sour. The Chinese consumer is not some magical being that will keep buying when no-else does and the Chinese government is slowly removing subsidies making it even more painful for consumers there. Next week looks likely to be a big sell-off week in crude. Seasonal lows, here we come.
 
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