Crude oil prices drifted lower at the later part of Asia’s trading session on Tuesday, as Tropical Storm Beta in the Gulf of Mexico weakened.
What we know: Brent oil futures were down by 0.31% to $41.31 at the time this report was drafted, and WTI futures fell by 0.23% to $39.22.
Both oil benchmarks fell around 4% on Monday, hit by rising concerns that an increase in coronavirus cases in major markets could spur fresh lockdowns and hurt demand.
READ: Chevron Nigeria invests $1.45 billion in local content development
Oil prices are falling again amid Tropical Storm Beta reduced in power in the Gulf of Mexico, allaying fears of an extended shutdown that began in the previous week with Hurricane Sally.
In a note to Nairametrics, Stephen Innes, Chief Global Market Strategist at AxiCorp, spoke on the macros disrupting the price of hydrocarbon.
READ: Soybean Futures reach 2-year high, following U.S sales to ChinaÂ
“In line with broader markets, oil prices were hammered lower overnight as the growth assets buckled amid lockdown fears in Europe and the UK.
There continues to be concern around the effects on demand of the resurgence in Covid-19 cases globally as countries have to counterbalance the economic and health issues in getting back to work. The second half of 2020 was always going to reflect this price see-saw.
While mother nature is doing its part as traders focus on the hurricane season in the US, OPEC+ cuts seem to be tightening the market.”
READ: The implications of India’s recent ban of its seafarers off Nigeria’s waters
However, the COVID-19 crisis continues to deepen with growing concerns about global energy demand arising from the latest data on the spread of the virus in major world economies such as the U.K.
