Article content
(Bloomberg) — Oil fluctuated as investors weighed the fallout from a Russian ban on exports to buyers that adhere to a Group of Seven price cap.
Article content
West Texas Intermediate traded near $80 a barrel after closing little changed on Tuesday. Moscow’s restrictions will begin Feb. 1 and last until at least July 2023, according to the decree. The guidelines avoid extreme measures — such as imposing a minimum price or prohibiting certain countries from purchases — that the market had feared would seriously disrupt trade.
Article content
Crude is heading for a modest gain in 2022 after a volatile year that saw prices surge following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and then gradually pull back as fears of a global slowdown grew. More recently, China’s rapid unwinding of its strict Covid Zero policy and a resulting severe virus wave have hit a market that’s prone to sharp swings due to a lack of liquidity.
“Oil is trading on the larger story of China easing its Covid curbs and anticipating the rise of travel, despite the current outbreaks,” said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics & strategy at Mizuho Bank. The Russian response to the price cap was largely anticipated by the market, he added.
In the US, refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast, including the country’s two biggest, started ramping up production after a freezing temperatures forced them to halt last week.
Elements, Bloomberg’s daily energy and commodities newsletter, is now available. Sign up here.