Oil Futures Briefly Plunged To New Session Lows

Oil prices mark first gain in 4 sessions as risks of market disruptions in the Middle East remain

Tyler Richey, co-editor at Sevens Report Research, pointed out that during Wednesday’s session, oil futures briefly plunged to new session lows after a preliminary news headline crossed the wires about Israel agreeing to delay a ground invasion of Gaza, but reports then said the provided reason for the delay was that the Israeli military was awaiting the arrival of U.S. missile support.

All of that “suggests an invasion is still imminent — just not right at this moment,” Richey said.

An implied measure of consumer gasoline demand, known as total motor gasoline supplied, was “largely steady with its smoother four-week moving average rising to a more-than-one-month-high,” said Sevens Report’s Richey. “That firming demand metric amid an unexpected drop in refinery runs last week is likely to result in some near-term pressure on supply, which is bullish for energy prices.”