• 3 minutes e-car sales collapse
  • 6 minutes America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide
  • 11 minutes Perovskites, a ‘dirt cheap’ alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient
  • 28 mins GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
  • 6 days If hydrogen is the answer, you're asking the wrong question
  • 11 hours How Far Have We Really Gotten With Alternative Energy
  • 10 days Biden's $2 trillion Plan for Insfrastructure and Jobs
Nick Cunningham

Nick Cunningham

Nick Cunningham is an independent journalist, covering oil and gas, energy and environmental policy, and international politics. He is based in Portland, Oregon. 

More Info

Premium Content

Emerging Market Meltdown Could Undermine Oil Rally

Middle East oil production

Saudi Arabia and Russia just destroyed the oil price rally, potentially putting an end to all the speculation about what the group might do next. But higher production doesn’t necessarily mean higher oil prices are entirely out of the question, and in fact, the oil market is still faced with a ton of uncertainty.

Higher oil production from the OPEC/non-OPEC group would seem to close off the higher-price scenario. But a “complete collapse” of Venezuela’s oil production could still push oil prices up to $100 per barrel, Bob Parker, investment committee member at Quilvest Wealth Management, told CNBC.

That was echoed by other forecasts. If the losses from Venezuela are combined with disruptions in Iran – knocking off around 1.6 million barrels per day (mb/d) – then Brent could jump to $100 per barrel, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. With that said, there are three potential factors that could prevent triple-digit prices, and instead “cap” oil at about $80-$90: increased production from Russia, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve.

Still, that is just one part of the story, focused on supply-side disruptions. Another possibility is a demand scenario, one that has received a lot less attention in recent months. While oil traders focus on whether OPEC/Russia will offset outages in Venezuela and Iran, there are cracks forming in the economies of emerging markets, which could threaten to derail the oil market, and do more to drag down oil prices than production increases from the OPEC+ coalition.

The thesis centers on the notion that higher interest rates from the U.S. Federal Reserve and a stronger dollar will have ripple effects across emerging markets. A stronger dollar and higher interest rates make dollar-denominated debt a lot more painful to service in much of the world, dragging down economic activity and putting even more pressure on local currencies. Weakening currencies then make dollar debt even more painful, creating a viscous circle. Economist Paul Krugman says the current cracks in emerging markets are somewhat similar to the lead up to the 1998 financial crisis in Asia. Related: Goldman Bullish Despite Steep Oil Price Correction

The evidence is growing by the day. Turkey’s currency, the lira, has lost 20 percent of its value over the past two months. Argentina is seeking a bailout from the IMF as a collapse of the peso has drained public coffers.

More broadly, investors are becoming a bit more nervous about parking money in emerging markets. According to the Wall Street Journal, capital inflows into equity funds around the world slowed to just $8 billion in April, the lowest total since December 2016. Capital is flowing out of emerging markets and instead is rushing into the U.S., where a stronger economy and higher interest rates are making the U.S. comparatively more attractive.

Good news for the U.S., maybe, but bad news for a lot of developing countries. As the U.S. economic story diverges from that of the rest of the world, the dollar has gained in value. The WSJ Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against a basket of 16 other currencies, has gained 5.6 percent since February. Again, a stronger dollar creates a feedback loop in which emerging markets have trouble paying dollar-denominated debt, and it also makes commodities, including oil, much more expensive since they are traded in dollars. Related: Are We About To See Another Correction In Oil Prices?

Ultimately, in a worst-case scenario, that could lead to a financial crisis or crises. Governments can’t meet debt payments, currencies collapse, and economic growth grinds to a halt. Debt becomes even more unpayable.

An emerging market downturn, if it occurs over the next year or so, would likely unfold at the same time as the OPEC/non-OPEC group begins to exit, or phase out, the production limits. That means we could have demand destruction happening at the same time as an increase in oil supply, which is obviously a recipe for lower prices. Bank of America Merrill Lynch says that Brent could drop below $60 per barrel by next year if this scenario plays out. “Should PMIs start to deteriorate over the coming months and encourage long oil speculators to liquidate their positions, or new short specs, oil prices could swiftly drop to $60/bbl,” the investment bank said in a note.

With all of that said, the investment bank also says that this isn’t the most likely scenario, but more of a tail risk event. That doesn’t mean it is impossible.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:


Download The Free Oilprice App Today

Back to homepage





Leave a comment
  • John Scior on May 28 2018 said:
    Very interesting article. I am glad this is being pointed out as capital flight is a major concern and your article may be the canary in the cage singing loudly about the next coming world wide economic melt-down. I think it might be worthy to note, that countries who do export goods to the US and thus earn dollars might find their dollars being able to afford more oil imports. It would depend upon the level of indebtedness of the individual country and how much surplus of dollars they have in their balance of trade. If their dollar indebtedness is low and the surplus derived from exports is high, then the negative offset to their economy might well be blunted or even turned into a positive for their economy in terms of a lower cost of energy to supply the economy and its growth.
  • MontanaOsprey on May 29 2018 said:
    As the Killers’ song says: “Run for Cover”! Is there anything to prevent an emerging markets collapse by year end 2018? Venezuela’s tottering on total economic collapse. Argentina’s near to a total, harsh restructure. Brazil’s facing continued, national trucker strikes. Africa, is there once again, any good news? Well, at least you can say, the Eithiopeans aren’t starving—yet. Asia? One P8A shootdown over the SCS from a regional war.

Leave a comment




EXXON Mobil -0.35
Open57.81 Trading Vol.6.96M Previous Vol.241.7B
BUY 57.15
Sell 57.00
Oilprice - The No. 1 Source for Oil & Energy News