The price of crude oil is settling at $96.57. That is down $-1.30 or -1.33% on the day.
For the week, the price is down $-16 or -14.29%. The price is also below the 100 and 200 hour moving averages at $102.87 and $103.57. The big catalyst was the announcement of a cease-fire and the potential for the re-opening of the Straits of Hormuz. Although, not fully open (it is virtually closed still), the market is discounting some sort of reopening soon). The June contract is trading at $89.13.
The price low on February 26 came in at $63.81, just ahead of the war starting on February 28. The initial upside move pushed prices to a close of $71.02 on March 2, before momentum accelerated sharply. That surge over the next few days took the price to a high of $119.48 on March 9.
A sharp correction followed, with the low on March 10 reaching $76.73, but buyers stepped back in and drove the price higher again, peaking at $117.62 earlier this week. Since then, the market has seen another pullback, with the low this week coming in at $91.05.
Bottom line: The swings—from the mid-$60s to near $120 and back toward $90—underscore just how volatile and headline-driven this market has become.
