Investing.com - Crude oil futures traded lower Monday, striking a five-month low on growing fears over a potential Greece exit from the euro zone triggered the risk off trade.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light sweet crude futures for delivery in June traded at USD94.25 a barrel during U.S. morning trade, plunging 1.95%.
It earlier fell by as much as 2.65% to trade at USD93.66 a barrel, the lowest since December 19, 2011.
Speculation over the possibility of a Greek exit from the euro zone intensified, as talks aimed at forming a coalition government remained stalemated.
The stalemate fueled fears that a fresh round of elections has become inevitable and cast doubts over the country’s ability to uphold its fiscal commitments.
Meanwhile, concerns over the health of Spain’s banking system persisted, pushing the yield on Spanish 10-year bonds to 6.27%, the highest level since December, after an auction of government bonds earlier saw the country’s short-term borrowing costs rise.
There are concerns that the region’s sovereign debt crisis could trigger a broader economic slowdown that would curb demand for oil. The euro zone accounted for nearly 12% of global oil consumption in 2010, according to data from British Petroleum.
The heightened sense of risk aversion prompted investors to shun riskier assets, such as stocks and industrial commodities, and flock to the relative safety of the U.S. dollar.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.45% to trade at 80.79, the highest since March 15.
Market sentiment came under further pressure amid fears over a deeper-than-expected slowdown in top soy consumer China, following the release of a flurry of disappointing data late last week.
Oil investors shrugged off a policy easing move by the China’s central bank over the weekend.
The People’s Bank of China cut the Reserve Requirement Ratio, or the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, to 20.0% from 20.5%, effective May 18. It was the third cut in six months.
A deeper slowdown in China, the world’s second-biggest economy, would impair a global expansion that is already faltering because of Europe’s austerity measures.
China is the world's second largest oil consumer after the U.S. and has been the engine of strengthening demand.
Elsewhere, on the ICE Futures Exchange, Brent oil futures for July delivery fell 1.45% to trade at 110.19 a barrel, with the spread between the Brent and crude contracts standing at USD16.11.
Prices came under pressure after Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said over the weekend that the country would like the cost of Brent to fall to USD100 a barrel.
Mr. al-Naimi added that he would like to see global inventories rise before demand picks up in the second half of the year.
Brent crude, the European benchmark, is more than 13% off its intraday high of USD128.38 hit on March 1.
A potential loss of Iranian oil supplies has helped underpin strong gains in oil prices during late last year and the first quarter of this year.
However renewed meetings between Iran and major powers over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, along with rising Saudi Arabian and Libyan output and signs of slower U.S. economic and employment growth, helped pull oil prices back from first-quarter highs.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light sweet crude futures for delivery in June traded at USD94.25 a barrel during U.S. morning trade, plunging 1.95%.
It earlier fell by as much as 2.65% to trade at USD93.66 a barrel, the lowest since December 19, 2011.
Speculation over the possibility of a Greek exit from the euro zone intensified, as talks aimed at forming a coalition government remained stalemated.
The stalemate fueled fears that a fresh round of elections has become inevitable and cast doubts over the country’s ability to uphold its fiscal commitments.
Meanwhile, concerns over the health of Spain’s banking system persisted, pushing the yield on Spanish 10-year bonds to 6.27%, the highest level since December, after an auction of government bonds earlier saw the country’s short-term borrowing costs rise.
There are concerns that the region’s sovereign debt crisis could trigger a broader economic slowdown that would curb demand for oil. The euro zone accounted for nearly 12% of global oil consumption in 2010, according to data from British Petroleum.
The heightened sense of risk aversion prompted investors to shun riskier assets, such as stocks and industrial commodities, and flock to the relative safety of the U.S. dollar.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.45% to trade at 80.79, the highest since March 15.
Market sentiment came under further pressure amid fears over a deeper-than-expected slowdown in top soy consumer China, following the release of a flurry of disappointing data late last week.
Oil investors shrugged off a policy easing move by the China’s central bank over the weekend.
The People’s Bank of China cut the Reserve Requirement Ratio, or the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, to 20.0% from 20.5%, effective May 18. It was the third cut in six months.
A deeper slowdown in China, the world’s second-biggest economy, would impair a global expansion that is already faltering because of Europe’s austerity measures.
China is the world's second largest oil consumer after the U.S. and has been the engine of strengthening demand.
Elsewhere, on the ICE Futures Exchange, Brent oil futures for July delivery fell 1.45% to trade at 110.19 a barrel, with the spread between the Brent and crude contracts standing at USD16.11.
Prices came under pressure after Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said over the weekend that the country would like the cost of Brent to fall to USD100 a barrel.
Mr. al-Naimi added that he would like to see global inventories rise before demand picks up in the second half of the year.
Brent crude, the European benchmark, is more than 13% off its intraday high of USD128.38 hit on March 1.
A potential loss of Iranian oil supplies has helped underpin strong gains in oil prices during late last year and the first quarter of this year.
However renewed meetings between Iran and major powers over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, along with rising Saudi Arabian and Libyan output and signs of slower U.S. economic and employment growth, helped pull oil prices back from first-quarter highs.