DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The wave of sales has reversed much of the 398 million barrels purchased between the end of June and the middle of September. WTI SQUEEZE ENDSIn the seven days ending on October 31, selling was led by crude (-78 million barrels), especially NYMEX and ICE WTI (-62 million barrels), with a smaller contribution from Brent (-16 million). The remaining position (153 million barrels) was the lowest for 16 weeks since July 11 (128 million barrels). Crude inventories around the NYMEX delivery point at Cushing in Oklahoma depleted to just 22 million barrels at the end of September from 43 million barrels at the end of June. But most of the sales have come in European gas oil (-49 million barrels) rather than U.S. diesel (-6 million) reflecting the poor outlook for the European economy.

Persons: Angus Mordant, Cushing, John Kemp Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, ICE, diesel, Funds, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Loving County , Texas, U.S, North America, Europe, China, Iran, Israel, Cushing, Oklahoma, WTI, NYMEX

As token prices plummeted last year, the sector saw other stunning meltdowns that put several industry moguls into authorities' crosshairs. Changpeng "CZ" ZhaoThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Binance and its CEO Zhao in June for allegedly operating "a web of deception." Kwon faces multiple charges of fraud in the U.S. and was arrested in Montenegro earlier this year for allegedly forging documents, authorities said. He has pleaded not guilty to U.S. fraud charges that he misled customers and artificially inflated the value of his company's proprietary crypto token. Barry SilbertSilbert is the boss of crypto group Digital Currency Group whose subsidiary Genesis Global Capital filed for bankruptcy in January.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Costas Baltas, Sam Bankman, Fried, he's, Zhao, Kwon, Luna, Terraform, Alex Mashinsky, Mashinsky, Barry Silbert Silbert, Letitia James, Silbert, Stephen Ehrlich Stephen Ehrlich's, Ehrlich, Justin Sun, Sun, Niket Nishant, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Zhao, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Korean, Terraform Labs, Montenegrin, Mashinsky, CFTC, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Digital Currency Group, Genesis Global Capital, New York, FTC, Tron Foundation, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, China, Canada, U.S, Montenegro, New York

☆ Trading Startup Sues Regulator in Effort to Launch Election-Betting Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Paul Kiernan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission rejected a recent proposal to launch a derivatives market tied to congressional election results. Photo: Stephen Voss for The Wall Street JournalWASHINGTON—An online-trading startup is suing the federal government after regulators blocked its plan to let people bet on U.S. elections. The company, Kalshi, said in a complaint filed Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission was “arbitrary, capricious and otherwise contrary to law” when it rejected the proposal to launch a market for derivatives tied to results of congressional elections.

Persons: Stephen Voss Organizations: Futures Trading Commission, The Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON, U.S ., Appeals, Circuit, Futures Locations: U.S

The most recent week saw sales of Brent (11 million barrels), NYMEX and ICE WTI (4 million) and U.S. diesel (4 million) only partially offset by purchases of U.S. gasoline (3 million) and European gas oil (1 million). Short positions in NYMEX WTI climbed to 41 million barrels on Oct. 24 up from a 16-month low of 19 million barrels on Oct. 3. U.S. NATURAL GASFund managers were still struggling to become outright bullish about the outlook for U.S. gas despite futures prices being very low in real terms. Hedge funds and other money managers sold the equivalent of 125 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas futures and options over the seven days ending Oct. 24. From a statistical perspective, the very low inflation-adjusted base means there must be more potential for prices to rise rather than fall.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Cushing, NYMEX WTI, John Kemp, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: ICE Futures, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, ICE, U.S ., OPEC, Fund, Thomson, Reuters Locations: NYMEX, Brent

ORLANDO, Florida, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Leveraged funds trading U.S. Treasuries futures have increased their record net short position across the curve, which will do little to soothe growing concerns among regulators about the potential financial stability risks these bets pose. That is significantly larger than the peak combined net short position from 2019 of just over 4 million contracts. That's a whisker from the two-year record net short of 1.558 million contracts in 2019, and a fresh record five-year net short. A short position is essentially a wager an asset's price will fall, and a long position is a bet it will rise. But funds play Treasuries futures for other reasons, like relative value trades, and this year, the basis trade.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, Miral Organizations: Bank for International, Futures Trading Commission, U.S, Treasury, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ORLANDO, Florida, U.S

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Oil prices drop on Friday but gain over 1% for the weekHamas releases two US hostages in GazaEarlier, Israeli minister said troops to see Gaza 'from inside'Global oil market already faces supply concernsBENGALURU, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Oil prices settled lower on Friday after the Islamist group Hamas released two U.S. hostages from Gaza, leading to hopes the Israeli-Palestinian crisis could de-escalate without engulfing the rest of the Middle East region and disrupting oil supplies. Brent crude futures fell 22 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $92.16 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for November delivery , which expired after settlement on Friday, fell 62 cents, or 0.7%, to $88.75 a barrel. Hamas' armed wing released two U.S. hostages from Gaza - a mother and her daughter - "for humanitarian reasons" in response to Qatari mediation efforts in the war with Israel, its spokesman Abu Ubaida said on Friday. "The report took some of the risk premium out of the market," said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Abu Ubaida, Phil Flynn, Yoav Gallant, John Kilduff, Kilduff, Giovanni Staunovo, Brent, Staunovo, Shariq Khan, Paul Carsten, Florence Tan, Sudarshan, Shri Navaratnam, Jason Neely, David Gregorio, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Brent, . West Texas, Price Futures, Israeli, Pentagon, UBS, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Gaza, BENGALURU, Hamas, Israel, Yemen, New York, Saudi Arabia, Russia

☆ Premarket stocks: How billion-dollar fines are reshaping digital communications in banking
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business’ Before the Bell newsletter. HSBC is blocking staff from texting on their work phones, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. What’s happening: Banks must follow strict compliance rules for how they use and store their employees’ texts and other business communications. “Banks use a wide range of approved channels to communicate in compliance with regulatory obligations,” a company spokesperson told CNN. Tesla reported adjusted earnings of $2.3 billion in the quarter, or 66 cents a share, down 37% from a year earlier and the smallest profits it reported in two years.

Persons: Banks, ”, ” Sanjay Wadhwa, Tesla, Chris Isidore, Refinitiv, Dan Ives, “ Price, Elon Musk, “, ’, Craig Jelinek, Ron Vachris, Jelinek Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, HSBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, “ HSBC, Carlyle Group, Blackstone, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wedbush Securities, Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart Locations: New York, London, Wells Fargo, WhatsApp, United States

Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. As a result, the combined position was reduced to 483 million barrels (30th percentile for all weeks since 2013) down from 680 million barrels (64th percentile) on Sept. 19. Chartbook: Oil and gas positionsThe most recent week saw massive sales across the board, including Brent (-65 million barrels) and NYMEX and ICE WTI (-40 million), U.S. gasoline (-15 million), European gas oil (-13 million) and U.S. diesel (-7 million). Most of the adjustment came from liquidation of former bullish long positions (-122 million barrels) rather than initiation of new bearish short ones (+18 million). Net positions in Brent (20th percentile), U.S. gasoline (25th percentile) and European gas oil (28th percentile) were all well below their long-term averages.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Brent, Cushing, John Kemp Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, OPEC, Investors, ICE Futures, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Funds, ICE, U.S . diesel, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Midland , Texas, U.S, NYMEX, Brent , U.S, Brent

☆ The SEC will continue its efforts to bring oversight to crypto: Former CFTC Chair Timothy Massad
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe SEC will continue its efforts to bring oversight to crypto: Former CFTC Chair Timothy MassadFormer chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Timothy Massad joins 'The Exchange' to discuss sentiment towards launching a spot bitcoin ETF, the need for basic investor protection in the crypto market, and the risk of which crypto investors should be aware.

Persons: Timothy Massad Organizations: SEC, Futures Trading

Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S. April 21, 2020. The conflict in the Middle East has had little impact on global oil and gas supplies, and Israel is not a big producer. Iran's Oil Minister Javad Owji said on Friday oil prices are expected to reach $100 per barrel due to the current situation in the Middle East, according to the ministry's news agency SHANA. If the U.S. tightens enforcement of sanctions on Iran's oil exports due to any role it may have in the conflict, then Iran's oil supply could fall. On the U.S. supply front, drillers this week added four oil rigs in the biggest weekly rise since March, Baker Hughes said.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Israel, Javad Owji, SHANA, Iran's, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Andrew Lipow, Baker Hughes, Stephanie Kelly, Paul Carsten, Katya Golubkova, Andrew Hayley, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, . West Texas, Iran's Oil, Hezbollah, U.S, Wall Street, Lipow Oil Associates, The, of, Petroleum, drillers, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, U.S, Gaza Saudi Arabia, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Lebanese, Saudi Arabia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, China, New York, London, Tokyo, Beijing

European distillate inventories were 25 million barrels (-6% or -0.84 standard deviations) below the seasonal average at the end of September. Singapore distillate stocks averaged 3 million barrels (-23% or 1.30 standard deviations) below the seasonal average in September. Chartbook: Global distillate inventories and pricesPortfolio investors have been reducing their exposure to middle distillates since late August, which has likely anticipated, accelerated and amplified the retreat in prices and margins. But inventories are already tight; any expansion will cause them to deplete further, rapidly putting renewed upward pressure on prices. Related columns:- U.S. manufacturing rebound will stretch diesel supplies (October 5, 2023)- Funds grow bullish on crude, cautious on distillates (September 18, 2023)- Global diesel shortage boosts prices (September 13, 2023)- U.S. diesel prices surge anticipating a soft landing (August 11, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, John Kemp, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, ICE Futures, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Global, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Nice, France, Singapore, New York, United States, U.S, Europe, China

[1/2] Euro and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. The euro fell 0.19% to $1.0566 but the dollar index , a measure of the U.S. currency against six others, retreated 0.16% after earlier trading higher. The Japanese yen , another traditional safe-haven currency, edged higher 0.57% higher to 148.47 per dollar. Net long positions on the dollar rose to a one-year high, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released on Friday. The value of the net long dollar position was $10.55 billion for the week ended Oct. 6.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brad Bechtel, Bechtel, Marc Chandler, I'm, Chandler, Sterling, Swedish krona, Paul Mackel, Herbert Lash, Joice Alves, Rae Wee, Christina Fincher, Mark Potter, Will Dunham, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Bank of Israel, FX, Jefferies, Hamas, Bannockburn Global, U.S ., Canadian, New, Norwegian, U.S . Commodity Futures, Commission, Federal Reserve, Group, HSBC, Golden, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Israeli, New York, Japan, Bannockburn, New Zealand, Swedish, U.S, Asia, London, Singapore

☆ Dollar surges against euro on flight to safety amid Israel-Palestinian fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Euro and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. Net long positions on the dollar rose to a one-year high, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released on Friday. But investors aren't expecting another hike from the Federal Reserve in November, according to CME Group data. Its inability to capitalise on healthy U.S. labour market data brings that thinking to the fore," said Paul Mackel, Global Head of FX Research at HSBC. The offshore yuan rose 0.2% to 7.2943 per dollar.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ulrich Leuchtmann, aren't, Paul Mackel, Joice Alves, Rae Wee, Alison Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Bank of Israel, greenback, FX, Research, U.S . Commodity Futures, Commission, Federal Reserve, Group, FX Research, HSBC, Golden, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Israeli, Japan, U.S, Asia, London, Singapore

Fund managers sold a total of 57 million barrels over latest two weeks after having purchased 398 million barrels over the previous 12 weeks since the end of June. Hedge funds and other money managers sold the equivalent of 3 million barrels over the week ended Oct. 3. Fund managers have sold gasoline in each of the latest three weeks by a total of 22 million barrels since Sept. 12. As a result, the net position has been cut to 48 million barrels (42nd percentile) from 71 million (77th percentile). Funds held a net long position of just 9 billion cubic feet (32nd percentile since 2010) down from a recent high of 743 billion cubic feet (48th percentile) on July 11.

Persons: Cushing, Brent, John Kemp, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, ICE, U.S, Henry Hub, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Funds, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, U.S, Israel, Chartbook, Brent, NYMEX, Louisiana, Pacific, United States

Funds' net short position in two-year futures is now a record 1.278 million contracts. A short position is essentially a wager an asset's price will fall, and a long position is a bet it will rise. STERLING FLIPIn currencies, meanwhile, funds ramped up their broad, net long dollar position by $5.4 billion in the week to $8.45 billion. At around 114,000 contracts, it is now close to July's 118,000, which was the biggest net short position since February 2018. The CFTC data also showed that funds flipped to a net short sterling position for the first time since April.

Persons: STERLING, Jamie McGeever, Lincoln Organizations: Futures Trading Commission, Bank of, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ORLANDO, Florida, Bank of Japan

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. U.S. job growth rose by 336,000 in September according to Labor Department statistics, far exceeding economists' forecasts of a 170,000 rise. The sentiment of the statistics is mixed for oil prices. A strong U.S. dollar is typically negative for oil demand, making the commodity relatively more expensive for holders of other currencies. "Fear for the health of the global economy and thus oil demand going forward is at the heart of the sell-off," SEB analyst Bjarne Schieldrop said.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Baker Hughes, Brent, WTI, SEB, Bjarne Schieldrop, Stephanie Kelly, Robert Harvey, Sudarshan, William Maclean, Sharon Singleton, Louise Heavens, David Gregorio, Rod Nickel Organizations: REUTERS, YORK, . West Texas, Labor Department statistics, ING, Companies, Day, Xinhua, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Russia, gasoil, U.S, New York, London, Singapore

☆ US regulators weigh penalizing bankrupt crypto lender Voyager's ex-CEO - Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 6 (Reuters) - Investigators at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's enforcement division have concluded that the co-founder of Voyager Digital broke derivatives regulations before the failed crypto lender plunged into bankruptcy last year, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. Voyager filed for bankruptcy in July last year, becoming a casualty of a dramatic fall in prices that had shaken the cryptocurrency sector. "CFTC commissioners are now voting on whether to approve an enforcement action against him within days," said the Bloomberg report. The CFTC did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment, while Ehrlich and his representatives could not be immediately reached. Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stephen Ehrlich, Luna stablecoin, Ehrlich, Manya Saini, Saumyadeb Organizations: U.S . Commodity, Voyager, Bloomberg, CFTC, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Undeterred by dollar's renewed strength, analysts see weakness ahead: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Hari Kishan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. Adam Cole, the chief currency strategist at RBC, says he is biased toward a stronger dollar but admits the prevailing foreign exchange view in markets remains a tough nut to crack. "If you look at consensus forecasts, the consensus has been dollar negative for five years now and it hasn't worked," Cole said. One notable outlier among major central banks is the Bank of Japan, which has made the yen one of the worst-performing major currencies this year, down over 13%. (For other stories from the October Reuters foreign exchange poll:)Reporting by Hari Kishan; Polling by Prerana Bhat, Purujit Arun, Pranoy Menon and Anant Chandak; Editing by Ross Finley and Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Adam Cole, hasn't, Cole, Jane Foley, Rabobank's Foley, Hari Kishan, Prerana Bhat, Purujit Arun, Pranoy Menon, Anant Chandak, Ross Finley, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, greenback, Treasury, RBC, U.S, Futures, Bank of Japan, Rabobank, Reuters, Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Westminster , Colorado, U.S

☆ US dollar's rally supercharged by soaring real yields on Treasuries
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Saqib Iqbal Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At the same time, climbing real yields make it more expensive to bet against the dollar. With real yields pushing higher, "only the bravest of traders are willing to bet against the greenback," he said. That, combined with a deceleration in inflation, has sent real yields soaring. The dollar has tracked real yields in recent years, with peaks and troughs closely aligned. Still, high real yields make him hesitant to short the U.S. currency.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Karl Schamotta, Aaron Hurd, Hurd, Corpay's Schamotta, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Chuck Mikolajczak, Ira Iosebashvili, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Treasury Department, Futures Trading Commission, UBS Global Wealth Management, State Street Global Advisors, Thomson Locations: Toronto, U.S, Europe, China

☆ Column-Bonds eye Q4 salvation in another year to forget: McGeever
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jamie Mcgeever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Treasury bond indexes are down as much as 2.5% this year, not a huge move and most of it has come since Federal Reserve policymakers published their upwardly revised median policy projections on Sept. 20. For an investor with a typical portfolio weighted 60% stocks and 40% bonds, these losses are more than offset by double-digit equity returns. Their base case is for a 14% return on 10-year Treasuries, rising to 20% in the event of recession. Even in their upside scenario of a more resilient economy, 10-year Treasuries should return around 10% over the coming year, they estimate. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data, meanwhile, showed that asset managers had built up a then record net long position in 10-year Treasuries futures of 1.26 million contracts by mid-January.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, ”, Keith Lerner, Jonathan Duensing Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, U.S, Treasuries, U.S ., Bank of America, Treasury, Bloomberg U.S, ICE, Advisory, Fed, UBS, Bank of, Futures, Amundi, Reuters Locations: ORLANDO, Florida, Washington , U.S, U.S . Republic, Treasuries

☆ Bonds eye Q4 salvation in another year to forget: McGeever
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jamie Mcgeever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ The $8 billion Sam Bankman-Fried criminal trial starts today — here's what's at stake and how we got here
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

In the first trial, Bankman-Fried faces seven criminal counts related to the collapse of the crypto empire he built, including wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. Alameda, FTX and a host of subsidiaries Bankman-Fried founded filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware. FTX's own terms of use specifically forbade him, or Alameda, from using customer money for anything — unless the customer allowed it. And from FTX's inception, there was a lot of customer money. Bankman-Fried and other executives admitted to each other that "FTX customer funds were irrevocably lost because Alameda had appropriated them."

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Ellison, FTX, Wang, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Samuel Bankman, MacKenzie Sigalos, San Francisco —, SBF, Wang —, Nishad Singh —, Goldman Sachs, Binance, Damian Williams, Rehypothecation, —, Crypto, Solana, Zhao, he'd, Cromwell, John J, Ray, John Ray's, — CNBC's Rohan Goswami Organizations: Alameda Research, Southern, of, Stanford, MIT, U.S, New York Times, Bankman, That's, CNBC, Jane, Capital, University of California, Formula, Democratic, Twitter, Securities Exchange Commission, SEC, Futures Trading, United States Attorney's Office, CFTC, Alameda, Alameda didn't, Voyager, BlockFi, FTX, Industry, Investors, Zhao, Publicly, Sullivan, Enron Locations: Bahamas, Manhattan, New York, Alameda, of New York, FTX, Brooklyn , New York, San Francisco, South Korea, Alameda , California, Fried's Alameda, Berkeley, Miami, Washington, Delaware, California, Federal, Solana, Fried

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. On its first day as the front-month, Brent futures for December delivery settled $1.49, or 1.6%, lower at $90.71 a barrel, or down about 5% from where the November contract expired on Friday. Analysts said some traders took profits after crude prices rose nearly 30% to 10-month highs in the third quarter. Higher interest rates along with a stronger dollar, which makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies, could dent oil demand. A Reuters survey showed OPEC oil output rose for a second straight month in September despite cuts by Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Brent, Gelber, Edward Moya, Scott DiSavino, Paul Carsten, Yuka Obayashi, Emily Chow, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., . West Texas, New York Mercantile, Intercontinental Exchanges, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Associates, U.S, . Federal Reserve, World Bank, ING, Organization of, Petroleum, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, U.S, Europe, Germany, Britain, China, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Russia, New York, London, Tokyo

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.90, or 2.1%, to $88.89 per barrel. Energy analysts cited profit taking after crude prices rose nearly 30% in the third quarter to 10-month highs. A Reuters survey showed OPEC oil output rose for a second straight month in September despite cuts by Saudi Arabia. In Europe, manufacturing data showed the euro zone, Germany and Britain remained mired in a downturn in September, pressuring oil demand.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Brent, Jerome Powell, Scott DiSavino, Paul Carsten, Yuka Obayashi, Emily Chow, Kim Coghill, Kirsten Donovan, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., . West Texas, Energy, New York Mercantile, Intercontinental Exchanges, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading, U.S, U.S . Federal Reserve, Treasury, ING, Organization of, Petroleum, Reuters, Bank, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Friday's, U.S, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Russia, Europe, Germany, Britain, China, New York, London, Tokyo

Funds continued to purchase NYMEX and ICE WTI (+16 million barrels), reflecting the intensifying squeeze on crude inventories around the delivery point at Cushing in Oklahoma. WTI purchases have totalled 152 million barrels over the five most recent weeks and taken the net position to 286 million barrels (60th percentile for all weeks since 2013). But funds were net sellers of Brent in the most recent week (-22 million barrels) after buying in the three previous weeks (+63 million). Chartbook: Oil and gas positionsOn the product side, fund managers were significant sellers of U.S. gasoline (-13 million barrels) and European gas oil (-7 million), which was only partially offset by some small buying of U.S. diesel (+2 million). U.S. NATURAL GASInvestors became increasingly bearish on the outlook for U.S. gas prices despite progressive elimination of the large inventory surplus inherited from 2022.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Brent, Cushing, John Kemp, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, ICE Futures, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Funds, ICE, U.S ., U.S, Investors, Henry Hub, Climate, Nino, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, Cushing, Oklahoma, Brent, Louisiana, U.S, Pacific, Saudi

Search resuls for: "Commodity Futures Trading"

25 mentions found