Latest News Updates From Alex Longley

Oil’s spectacular collapse deepened as widening global efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus looked set to trigger the most severe contraction in annual oil demand in history.

Oil held its biggest gain in almost seven weeks after improved U.S. and Chinese economic data aided the demand outlook, while optimism increased that the U.S. and China will resolve their trade dispute.

Oil pushed higher despite the U.S. imposition of higher tariffs on Chinese goods, as rising tensions in Iran and elsewhere kept the supply outlook tight.

Airlines are starting to hedge against the risk that fuel prices could be driven higher by rules targeting another industry’s environmental performance.

Brent crude will reach $90 a barrel by 2020 as new international shipping regulations take effect, overhauling the types of fuels produced by refiners, Morgan Stanley analysts said in a report.

Crude rose to its highest level since 2014 in New York as the drop in U.S. inventories reported by an industry group helped to sustain a rally spurred by geopolitical risks.