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March 17. Economists recorded a peak drop in oil amid banking turmoil

Analyzing the dynamics of oil prices in recent days, economists have come to the conclusion that oil has suffered the biggest losses in a week this year. The drop in raw materials is mainly due to significant shocks in the world markets in the banking sector.

Recall that on March 11, the 16th largest US bank Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was declared bankrupt. The bankruptcy of this major Silicon Valley bank was the second largest in U.S. history after Washington Mutual Bank, whose collapse in 2008 led to a drop in stock prices in Europe and the closure of another bank in the United States.

Today, futures for North American WTI crude oil fell below $68 per barrel. At the end of the week, the drop was about 10%. The current price of the asset is $67.17 per barrel. Brent oil is also showing a decline – to the level of $73.40 per barrel.

Market participants are waiting for a reaction to the current collapse in prices from OPEC+. However, there is an opinion that the cartel will not take any action until the price of Brent crude oil falls below $70 per barrel for a long period of time.

At the same time, the International Energy Agency predicts that the oil market will be in surplus in the first half of 2023, despite the reduction in oil production in Russia in March. The European Union expects that the average price of Brent crude oil this year will be $84.8 per barrel.