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Crude Oil Price: Can It Break Above $70?

Summary:
  • Crude oil price at risk of forming a double top at the $68 level. A move above $70 would trigger more strength. OECD improved growth forecasts.

The crude oil price is back at the highs after bouncing from the $60 level at the start of May. Now the June is about to begin, the price of oil meets resistance at $68, fueling suspicions of a possible double top.

A move and a daily close above $68 should trigger more strength on the crude oil price, as the consolidation during the last two months will be interpreted as a continuation pattern. On the flip side, a rejection from the $68 would put pressure for a move back to the $60 area.

Supply and demand, crucial for the price of oil, is improving West of Suez but deteriorating East of Suez. For example, oil demand in Japan fell 9.1% in April when compared to the same period in 2019 (we can skip 2020 because the world was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 virus). Also, speaking of the virus, India, Malaysia and Vietnam are under total or partial lockdowns, thus affecting the demand for crude oil.

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In the meantime, the OECD has released its latest outlook. It now sees the US growth at 6.9% in 2021, up from 6.5% seen in March. Also, the Euro area growth outlook improved, up 4.3% from the previous 3.9% in March.

Crude Oil Technical Analysis

Bulls may want to go long on a daily close above $70, setting a stop at the previous higher low and setting a take-profit by using a risk-reward ratio of 1:2.

Crude Oil Price Forecast

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