Crude bouncing

Crude prices shot higher overnight in response to President Trump’s insistence that he would be carrying through his tariff threat. As of Tuesday, the US will hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on their US exports, although the tariff on Canadian oil will be set at 10%, same as that on goods from China. Put together, oil from Mexico and Canada account for around 25% of all US oil imports. News of the tariffs saw crude prices jump higher overnight, with front-month WTI briefly topping $74.50, its highest level in a week. But prices pulled back subsequently, although were still significantly above Friday’s close. Complicating the matter further, there’s an OPEC+ meeting today. But members will probably be happy to see prices rising once again, and they are expected to keep their production cuts unchanged. Technically, crude prices were overdue a bounce, and had already started to recover from a two-week sell-off at the end of last week. This week should provide greater clarity over the length and strength of the possible rally.