Oil prices settled up more than 7% on Monday, with global benchmark Brent climbing above $115 a barrel, as European Union nations disagreed on whether to join the United States in a Russian oil embargo after an attack on Saudi oil facilities.
Brent futures settled at $115.62 per barrel, up $7.69 or 7.12%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at $112.12 per barrel, up $7.42 or 7.09%.
Such an embargo "could be the precipice for global trouble supply-wise," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC.
Given the uncertainty about the EU's potential ban of Russian petroleum imports, U.S. gasoline futures jumped 5%.
European Union governments will consider whether to impose an oil embargo on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine as they gather this week with U.S. President Joe Biden for a series of summits designed to harden the West's response to Moscow.
The EU and allies have already imposed a panoply of measures against Russia, including freezing its central bank's assets.
Ukraine defied a Russian demand that its forces lay down arms before dawn on Monday in Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped in a city under siege.
With little sign of the conflict easing, the focus returned to whether the market would be able to replace Russian barrels hit by sanctions.
"Optimism is seeping away about progress in talks to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine and that's sent the price of oil on the march upwards," Susannah Streeter, senior markets analyst at UK-based asset manager Hargreaves Lansdown, said.
Over the weekend, attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group caused a temporary drop in output at a Saudi Aramco refinery joint venture in Yanbu, feeding concern in a jittery oil products market, where Russia is a major supplier and global inventories are at multi-year lows.
Saudi Arabia on Monday said it would not be responsible for any global oil supply shortages after these attacks, in a sign of growing Saudi frustration with Washington's handling of Yemen and Iran.
The latest report from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, together known as OPEC+, showed some producers are still falling short of their agreed supply quotas.
Oil prices were also sensitive to talk of Hong Kong lifting COVID-19 restrictions, which could increase demand, and to the growing list of U.S. companies retreating from Russia - including Baker Hughes, ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP.
(Additional reporting by Noah Browning in Londo, Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Florence Tan in SingaporeEditing by Marguerita Choy and Barbara Lewis)
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU