{"id":19757,"date":"2025-04-02T10:13:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T10:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/?p=19757"},"modified":"2025-04-02T10:13:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T10:13:41","slug":"wti-crude-slips-on-tariffs-and-inventory-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/analysis\/wti-crude-slips-on-tariffs-and-inventory-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"WTI Crude Slips on Tariffs and Inventory Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2026\/03\/download-5-1-1024x559.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17186\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Points:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>WTI closes at $70.74; Brent falls to $74.02.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>API data shows 6 million-barrel build in US crude inventories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Oil prices drifted lower on Wednesday as traders reacted to deepening concerns around global demand following <strong>U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s proposed tariffs<\/strong> on major trade partners. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/69XQMFlyC1\">WTI crude<\/a><\/strong><strong> futures slipped 0.6% to $70.74<\/strong>, while <strong>Brent crude retreated to $74.02<\/strong> after briefly touching five-week highs at the start of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The chart shows WTI hitting a high of <strong>$72.08<\/strong> before sliding steadily toward <strong>$70.66<\/strong>, with price action closing at <strong>$70.843<\/strong>. The <strong>MACD (12,26,9)<\/strong> has crossed below the signal line, and the histogram is dipping further into negative territory\u2014pointing to weakening bullish momentum. The commodity is now testing key support around <strong>$70.50<\/strong>, with the next level seen at <strong>$69.77<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Tariffs and Demand Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>President Trump\u2019s aggressive stance on trade has sparked fresh fears that tariffs on countries like <strong>China, <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Rh76K0KWWt\">Russia<\/a><\/strong><strong>, and <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0CU345vk8U\">Germany <\/a><\/strong>will reduce global economic output and suppress energy demand. While the scope of the tariffs remains unclear, the threat alone has injected enough uncertainty to drag commodities lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, <strong>supply-side concerns<\/strong> have limited the extent of the pullback. Markets remain alert to cross-border tensions, particularly following Trump\u2019s renewed threats against <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hnLo57i8JN\">Iran and Russia<\/a><\/strong>, which could curb exports from both countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Fifty US senators introduced a bill to slap Russia and countries that buy its oil with new sanctions if Vladimir Putin fails to follow up on ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine or violates any eventual accord <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Rh76K0KWWt\">https:\/\/t.co\/Rh76K0KWWt<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Bloomberg (@business) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/business\/status\/1907202807624515793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 1, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Technical Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This 15-minute chart of <strong>Crude Oil (CL-OIL-ECN)<\/strong> shows a <strong>strong initial rally<\/strong>, with price surging from <strong>69.55<\/strong> to a high of <strong>72.08<\/strong>, followed by a gradual but steady <strong>decline and consolidation phase<\/strong>. The MACD peaked early and has since turned bearish, reflecting declining momentum. The price is now trading around <strong>70.84<\/strong>, beneath the moving averages (5, 10, 30), suggesting short-term pressure from sellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2026\/03\/image-1-1024x438.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19758\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Picture: Oil retreats after failed breakout above $72\u2014sideways grind back in play, as seen on the <\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/vtmarketsapp.onelink.me\/CD7D\/240525WA\">VT Markets app<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Support seems to be forming around <strong>70.50<\/strong>, while <strong>71.30\u201372.00<\/strong> now acts as a resistance zone. The narrowing MACD and flattening price action suggest <strong>indecision<\/strong> in the market\u2014likely awaiting a fresh catalyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Inventory Data Adds Pressure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.api.org\/products-and-services\/statistics\/api-weekly-statistical-bulletin\">API inventory data<\/a><\/strong> added another layer of bearishness, showing a surprise <strong>6 million-barrel build<\/strong> in U.S. crude stockpiles. Meanwhile, gasoline inventories dropped by <strong>1.6 million barrels<\/strong>, partially offsetting fears of oversupply but highlighting soft demand trends ahead of peak driving season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Markets now turn their focus to the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/petroleum\/supply\/weekly\/\">official EIA inventory data<\/a><\/strong> and Thursday\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/commodities\/opec-members-meet-thursday-likely-stick-planned-output-increases-sources-say-2025-04-01\/\">OPEC+ ministerial meeting<\/a><\/strong>, which could determine whether the cartel will move forward with its anticipated output hike beyond April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Cautious Forecast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If WTI breaks firmly below <strong>$70.50<\/strong>, selling pressure could intensify toward the <strong>$69.77<\/strong> support area. However, traders are likely to remain cautious ahead of the <strong>OPEC+ decision<\/strong>, with potential upside limited unless clarity on tariffs and geopolitical risks improves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Short-term bias remains tilted to the downside, with technicals softening and macro headwinds dominating sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/trade-now\/\">Create your live VT Markets account<\/a><\/strong><strong> and <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.vtmarkets.com\/login\">start trading<\/a><\/strong><strong> now.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WTI crude dips to $70.74 as US stockpiles rise and tariff uncertainty clouds demand outlook. &#8211; vtmarkets.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-19757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-oil"],"acf":{"acf_article_selection_author":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}