Crude Oil falls back into familiar bottoms on Friday pullback, WTI cracks $77.00 once again


  • WTI has returned to territory below $77.00 five times in eight days.
  • Crude Oil markets are getting pushed back into the low side of rough congestion.
  • Analysts expect OPEC to extend Q1 cuts through Q2.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dipped back below $77.00 on Friday as energies pull back from recent bullish momentum which failed to crack into meaning high territory. WTI is set to wrap up the trading week near $76.50, a region that US Crude Oil has been struggling to break from since rising into the zone on February 9.

According to a survey by Bloomberg, analysts that watch the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) expect the Crude Oil cartel to extend steep production cuts from the first quarter through Q2 2024. OPEC introduced drastic Crude Oil production caps across its member states late 2023, but attempts to constrain global Crude Oil supply in order to support barrel prices continues to run into significant headwinds as energy markets have their hands full watching global non-OPEC production and keeping an eye out for ongoing geopolitical headlines.

Crude Oil markets remain concerned about possible supply shocks as the Israel-Palestinian Hamas conflict in Gaza rolls on, and Yemini Houthis backed by Iran continue to target civilian cargo ships in the Red Sea despite the presence of a coalition naval fleet between the US and the UK.

As it currently stands, OPEC has not announced their Q2 plans, nor have they set a date to begin discussing the group’s production levels heading into the tail end of the first quarter.

WTI technical outlook

WTI fell back below the 200-hour Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $77.47 for the third time in a week as bullish momentum continues to evaporate. US Crude Oil is building out a rough consolidation pattern in the near-term, with a technical resistance zone marked in just below $79.00.

Daily candlesticks are seeing stiff technical resistance from the 200-day SMA at $77.60, and a bullish recovery from the last major swing low into $67.97 in December has struggled to gain meaningful chart territory.

WTI hourly chart

WTI daily chart

WTI US OIL

Overview
Today last price 76.56
Today Daily Change -1.71
Today Daily Change % -2.18
Today daily open 78.27
 
Trends
Daily SMA20 76.3
Daily SMA50 74.42
Daily SMA100 76.61
Daily SMA200 77.58
 
Levels
Previous Daily High 78.74
Previous Daily Low 77.09
Previous Weekly High 78.47
Previous Weekly Low 75.51
Previous Monthly High 79.19
Previous Monthly Low 69.41
Daily Fibonacci 38.2% 78.11
Daily Fibonacci 61.8% 77.72
Daily Pivot Point S1 77.33
Daily Pivot Point S2 76.38
Daily Pivot Point S3 75.68
Daily Pivot Point R1 78.98
Daily Pivot Point R2 79.68
Daily Pivot Point R3 80.63

 

 

Share: Feed news

Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.

If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.

FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.

The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.

Recommended content


Recommended content

Editors’ Picks

EUR/USD treads water just above 1.0400 post-US data

EUR/USD treads water just above 1.0400 post-US data

Another sign of the good health of the US economy came in response to firm flash US Manufacturing and Services PMIs, which in turn reinforced further the already strong performance of the US Dollar, relegating EUR/USD to the 1.0400 neighbourhood on Friday.

EUR/USD News
GBP/USD remains depressed near 1.2520 on stronger Dollar

GBP/USD remains depressed near 1.2520 on stronger Dollar

Poor results from the UK docket kept the British pound on the back foot on Thursday, hovering around the low-1.2500s in a context of generalized weakness in the risk-linked galaxy vs. another outstanding day in the Greenback.

GBP/USD News
Gold keeps the bid bias unchanged near $2,700

Gold keeps the bid bias unchanged near $2,700

Persistent safe haven demand continues to prop up the march north in Gold prices so far on Friday, hitting new two-week tops past the key $2,700 mark per troy ounce despite extra strength in the Greenback and mixed US yields.

Gold News
Geopolitics back on the radar

Geopolitics back on the radar

Rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine caused renewed unease in the markets this week. Putin signed an amendment to Russian nuclear doctrine, which allows Russia to use nuclear weapons for retaliating against strikes carried out with conventional weapons.

Read more
Eurozone PMI sounds the alarm about growth once more

Eurozone PMI sounds the alarm about growth once more

The composite PMI dropped from 50 to 48.1, once more stressing growth concerns for the eurozone. Hard data has actually come in better than expected recently – so ahead of the December meeting, the ECB has to figure out whether this is the PMI crying wolf or whether it should take this signal seriously. We think it’s the latter.

Read more
Best Forex Brokers with Low Spreads

Best Forex Brokers with Low Spreads

VERIFIED Low spreads are crucial for reducing trading costs. Explore top Forex brokers offering competitive spreads and high leverage. Compare options for EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and Gold.

Read More

Forex MAJORS

Cryptocurrencies

Signatures