This is a day for the history books as WTI (West Texas Intermediate) entered negative territory for the 1st time ever! Settling around -$38.00/bbl, the negative price sent shock-waves around the world. Now, it must be stressed that this is for the May futures contracts that will be expiring tomorrow. But nevertheless, for prices to go negative, is a major historic event. From the demand side – there basically is none. From the supply side – the globe is awash in both oil and gas, and storage facilities are nearing max capacity. Great attention will be paid to the June futures contracts for WTI and make no mistake about it – these contracts could hit negative prices as well. If they do, then there is unquestionably something structural underneath the oil markets that is broken. Also, understand that free-markets is about price discovery and this may simply be an attempt by markets to clear. However, we think that this is something much more structural. This could be hedge fund(s) failing, energy corps failing, etc… or some combination, amongst other issues.
The geopolitics of the matter can also not be forgotten or downplayed. OPEC + just agreed to cut nearly 10 million b/d from production and despite this – prices continued their descent – which we argued would happen. This calls into question the petro-dollar system and we discuss this during our podcast. We also note the continued stress this places on energy firms that were already struggling to begin with, due to the supply and demand dynamics of the markets, in conjunction with their massive debt loads. This is far from over. Also, note that many countries protesting prior to COVID19 are heavily dependent on oil for their government revenues. This downward trend will only exacerbate any and all issues that already existed in these countries. Be prepared for more global protests – these are not transitory – they are history in the making.
Lastly, we discuss some brief articles centered around the health and life or death situation of North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. As well as President Trump’s recent decision and Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration. We also mention Iranian criticisms of the USA with respect to the economic sanctions that continue to cripple the country, especially in light of COVID19, from which Iran is suffering severely. And then announced earlier, there was the formation of an “emergency” government in Israel as the two sides have been unable to successfully form a government despite multiple attempts. Something tells us all of these stories are connected, but time will tell all. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Oil #Recession #Protests #War #Peace #USA #Iran #Russia #Venezuela #China #SaudiArabia #Debt #Gold #Depression