Crude Oil Drops as U.S Dollar Extends Gain

Oil prices declined on Monday after the United States Dollar rose to a three-week high and the U.S oil rig count increased amid drop in U.S. Gulf of Mexico output.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigerian crude oil is priced, sheds $1.03 or 1.37 percent to $74.31 per barrel at 9.38 am Nigerian time. While the U.S West Texas Intermediate oil declined by $1.18 or 1.64 per barrel to $70.79 a barrel.

The recent increase in dollar strength against global currencies has dragged on crude oil outlook as energy investors cut down on imports to avoid possible market headwinds. Strong U.S. dollar priced crude oil is more expensive for holders of other currencies.

U.S dollar rose to a three-week high after retail sales unexpected rose by 0.7 percent in the month of August. The increase bolstered expectations that the U.S Federal Reserve will start cuttiing down on asset purchases later this year.

“U.S. consumption is not slowing as quickly as it appeared a month ago despite the fading stimulus, and the Delta variant did not much affect the industries feeding into retail sales,” said Chris Low, chief economist at FHN Financial in New York. “The economy continued to hum in August.”

According to the researchers at ING Bank, strong US dollar over the last few days has provided some headwinds to the market.

Also, an increase in U.S rig count to 512 in the week ended September 17, 2021 clouded the oil market. Oil rige rose by 9, the highest since April 2020.

Still, as at Friday 23 percent of U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude output, or 422,078 barrels per day, remained shut, stated the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.