Oil Prices Hit $80, Highest Since 2014

Prices for global benchmark Brent crude climbed above $80 a barrel Thursday, as Washington’s decision to reinstate sanctions on Iran extended a rally that has pushed the market to their loftiest levels since 2014.

“Strong global demand, an ongoing OPEC supply deal, and a rising tide of geopolitical risk all combine to force the market higher,” said Robbie Fraser, commodity analyst at Schneider Electric. “Among those risks, Iran continues to top the list, with questions remaining around the extent to which a return of U.S. sanctions will limit Iranian oil production.”

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“While some non-U. S. companies appear determined to maintain ties with Iranian oil, [French energy giant] Total has moved to halt further investment in Iran based on concerns over U.S. sanctions and Total’s presence in the U.S. market,” he said in a daily note.

July Brent crude LCON8, +0.05% was up 90 cents, or 1.1%, at $80.18 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe, after tapping a high of $80.33. Prices haven’t see levels this high since November 2014. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, June West Texas Intermediate crude CLM8, -0.43% the U.S. benchmark, were up 37 cents, or 0.5%, at $71.86 a barrel, on track to notch another 3½-year peak.

Thursday’s gains came as European companies pull back from Iran. European companies had said they would stand by the 2015 international nuclear agreement that saw sanctions against Iran eased in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear program. Washington dropped out of that pact last week, sending oil sharply higher on the belief that Iranian supply will be curbed, when crude inventories are already falling.

French energy major Total SA TOT, +1.13% FP, +1.79% said Wednesday that it would withdraw from a major gas project in Iran before November if it wasn’t granted a waiver by the U.S. Total had signed a $1 billion deal to develop Iran’s South Pars field.

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The U.S. has said it is possible there will be secondary sanctions imposed on European companies who continue to deal with Iran.

“Though Iran is unlikely to give back all the production gains charted since the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] nuclear deal removed sanctions in 2016, they are likely to see steady declines ahead, joining Venezuela in the ranks of OPEC members suffering from involuntary production losses,” said Fraser.

Brent prices have climbed almost 20% in 2018, boosted by output cuts from major producers and increased tensions in the Middle East.

“I think there’s more upside at the moment than downside, the new range is $72-$85,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, adding that he “wouldn’t rule out” $90 brent this year.

Global oil stocks in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries hit their lowest level in three years in March, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

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“The current market deficit points to a further decline in stocks,” Commerzbank said in a daily note.

Investors were also monitoring the economic crisis in Venezuela which has seen a steep fall in the country’s oil production, adding to supply concerns. Presidential elections will be held there on Sunday.

Back on Nymex, June gasoline RBM8, -0.04% rose 1% to $2.272 a gallon, while June heating oil HOM8, +0.45% rose 1.3% to $2.299 a gallon.

Natural-gas prices, meanwhile, turned modestly higher. An EIA report Thursday revealed a weekly rise in U.S. supplies of the commodity that was generally in line with market expectations.

June natural gas NGM18, +1.42% tacked on 0.5% to $2.83 per British thermal units. It was trading at $2.797 before the supply data.

Domestic supplies of natural gas rose by 106 billion cubic feet for the week ended May 11, the EIA said. Analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts had forecast a climb of 104 billion cubic feet and on average over the last five years for the same week, inventories rose by 67 billion cubic feet.

 

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This story first appeared on marketwatch

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