U.S. Oil Curve Flattens as Crude Release Blunts Supply Risk
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. oil futures curve is already starting to weaken on the expected wave of oil supplies from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.Â
West Texas Intermediate crude futures for immediate delivery were trading more than $5 a barrel above the next-month price a few weeks ago - a level that indicates traders are willing to pay a huge premium to secure prompt supply. That gap dropped to as little as $1.63 after Bloomberg reported that the Biden Administration may release as much as 180 million barrels of oil from the strategic reserve. Â
The release, which was officially announced Thursday, comes as President Joe Biden is under pressure to slow inflation to reduce gasoline costs ahead of the midterm elections in November. It also comes after U.S. has unsuccessfully tried to persuade OPEC+ to raise output to help ease prices. Thursday the alliance approved on the previously announced modest supply increase. Â
Traders are weighing whether there is adequate infrastructure in place to be able to release 1 million barrels a day of oil into the market. The U.S. has previously delivered 400,000 to 500,000 barrels a day of oil from the strategic reserve, Saad Rahim, Trafigura Group Pte Ltd. Chief Economist said in an email to Bloomberg News after a TV interview.Â
Read more: The U.S. will release a record amount of oil from the strategic reserve
The gap between prompt WTI futures and oil for delivery six months later also fell, dropping to as little as $8.25 a barrel - the smallest gap in more than two weeks.Â
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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