Oil price recovers slightly as Saudi Aramco halts expansion plan to increase output

• WTI Oil enters in range trade after Aramco scrubs production boost.
• Oil traders are still positioned for more upside potential with bullish option market positioning.
• The US Dollar Index steady below 103.00, with data-driven week ahead while Fed enters blackout period.

Oil prices are trading sideways this Monday with some slim gains on the back of headlines that Saudi Arabia’s Aramco has postponed plans to boost its production from 12 to 13 million barrels per day by 2027. Still, the news only moves the price by a touch because the actual production was never close at these levels, and thus is not being taken away from markets. All in all, nothing changed much and this puts the Crude in a bit of a range between $75 and $80.

The US Dollar is entering a week in which it will move from one data point to the next. The glue or guidance that markets normally get from US Federal Reserve members’ speeches will not be taking place this week as the Fed has entered its blackout period ahead of the rate decision and Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech next week. Expect thus a very whipsaw week for the US Dollar, facing scenarios such as when one data point contradicts the next, or an accelerated move in one direction when all data falls in line with one bias. 

Crude Oil (WTI) trades at $77.47 per barrel, and Brent Oil trades at $81.74 per barrel at the time of writing. 

Oil news and market movers: Aramco retreats 

• The situation in Gaza remains in a stalemate with no ceasefire deal reached over the weekend. With Ramadam having started, the people in Gaza remain in search of food and basic supplies.
• Saudi Aramco has halted its plans to boost its oil-production capacity. The reasoning behind it is the robust non-OPEC supply growth in recent months, which could create a severe supply glut in the market.
• Furthermore, Saudi Aramco is set to boost its dividend payments as elevated benchmark Oil prices are boosting revenue and cash flow for the company. 
• An Oil tanker in India has hit a crude import terminal at Sikka port. The timing of possible delays in Crude deliveries is still unclear. 

Oil Technical Analysis: Can the US keep this up? 

Oil prices are starting to give shape to a bandwidth between $75 and $80 as a healthy equilibrium between buyers and sellers appears to be in place. The fact that Saudi Aramco did not go ahead with its production boost shows that it sees no urgency to do so, although these plans are ready in a drawer to be pulled out one day. With the US Dollar tilted to more weakness, more upside in Oil could still be on the horizon. 

Oil bulls still clearly see more upside potential. The break above $80 though does not seem to be taking place that quickly, and $86 is appearing as the next cap. Further up, $86.90 follows suit before targeting $89.64 and $93.98 as top levels. 

On the downside, the 100-day and the 55-day Simple Moving Averages (SMA) are near $75.71 and $75.31, respectively. Add the pivotal level near $75.27, and it looks like the downside is very limited and well-equipped to resist the selling pressure. 

US WTI Crude Oil: Daily Chart