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The OPEC+ alliance (an association of oil-exporting countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia that regulates production volumes and thereby influences world prices) decided on November 1 not to change production quotas for December. The next meeting is on November 29.
Oil gained $2.63 per barrel on Friday after the fourth tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz this month. Today seven OPEC+ countries are meeting online, but according to Reuters, everything is decided in advance for December: production will be left as is.
Brent added $1.50 (1.32%) and returned to $115.59 per barrel, WTI rose $1.47 to $101.37. The trigger - a statement by Yemeni Houthis that they hit Ras Tanura, the kingdom's largest oil refinery at 550,000 barrels per day, with a ballistic missile. Riyadh has not confirmed the strike.
The Bank of Canada announces its rate decision midday, the Fed in the evening. USD/CAD is rising for a second day and has already bounced from 1.3970-1.3965, the low since September 16, climbing above 1.4000 - a new weekly high.
By 05:50 Moscow time on Monday, Brent is at $114.60 per barrel versus Friday's close of $116.72 - the highest since April. The market has begun giving back part of the war premium, but oil is still twice as expensive as in February.
Brent futures (a contract for the future delivery of oil, the world's main price benchmark) closed Friday, October 23, at $116.72 a barrel - up $3.55, or 3.14%. This is the highest settlement level since April 29, and oil gained about 6% over the week.
On Saturday, October 24, BTC lost 2.2% in a day and dropped to $79,700 - its weakest level in more than a month. The reason is not market-related: Washington is urgently evacuating embassy and military base personnel from the region.
On Friday, October 23, at the start of the US session, BTC plunged to $80,988 - the low of the day. At the same time, Brent crude jumped about 3% to $116 per barrel, for the first time since March 19, and US stocks closed the week in the red.
On Thursday, October 22, XAU/USD lost more than 2% and dropped to $4,047, and in the Asian session on October 23 it reached **$3,986.74** - the lowest level in three months. The $4,066.64-$4,227.90 corridor, in which the metal had traded for three weeks since the start of October, was broken to the downside.
Yemen's Houthi movement said on October 22 that it had struck King Fahd Airport in Dammam, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense building and another Saudi Aramco facility. Following this, Saudi Aramco (the world's largest oil company and Saudi Arabia's state company) ordered the evacuation of personnel from its headquarters in Dhahran and their transfer to remote work.
WTI crude oil is rising for the fifth consecutive session and has climbed above $94 per barrel after new attacks in Saudi Arabia. The market is again pricing in heightened risk of supply disruptions in the Middle East, despite rising OPEC+ production.
On October 8, WTI oil rose to $90.87 and at one point approached $91.00, gaining about 3% in a day. The rise was supported by new attacks on facilities in Saudi Arabia, risks to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and a decline in US oil inventories.
On Tuesday, October 6, XAU/USD declined to $4,100, the lowest level in about two months. Gold has lost about 12% from its recent peak near $4,696, and the main pressure factor remains the strong dollar and high US bond yields.
WTI recovered intraday from the morning decline from around $88.00 and rose to nearly $91.50. The main driver was China's temporary suspension of oil product exports during the national holidays.
US crude WTI (the US benchmark grade) is trading around $93.05 in early Asian hours on Monday. The push came from US President Donald Trump's rejection of Iran's proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz - a key maritime route for oil exports from the Persian Gulf.
XAU/USD dropped below $4,200 and hit a nearly two-month low. Gold is under pressure from expectations of further Fed rate hikes, high US Treasury yields and a stronger dollar.
Yemen's Houthis announced new attacks on Saudi Arabia. The oil market reacted almost instantly: prices rose by about 4% during the session.
