Iran and Nigeria are providing a double disruption to the crude oil market, emphasizing that the oil market remains in no condition to play a man or more short.
Something that could have squeezed supply a bit tighter would be a sustained cold snap and there just hasn't been the cold weather in the U.S. yet to test out just how well the market can supply.
More sugar coming onto the market will lower prices.
There's still money flying into the commodities markets in general. I think the market is still bullish.
I think the oil market is in for a period of consolidation for a few days.
There's unlikely to be a quick return of output, and the market is certainly pricing in all of these various geo-political threats.
The market had become a bit too comfortable, expecting a diplomatic solution in Iran.
The next important meeting for the oil market will not be OPEC but the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The market has had a decent run-up in the past few sessions so we may see a bit of consolidation, but I don't expect it to be a sustained dip in prices.
Nigeria?s escalating problems though are boosting prices too. Nigeria puts almost 2.5 million barrels of crude into the market daily -- around 3 percent of global oil output.
Nigeria's escalating problems ... are boosting prices. Nigeria puts almost 2.5 million barrels of crude into the market daily -- around three percent of global oil output.