Global Commodities: Oil Outlook 2025/2026: Promises made, promises kept
Nov 22, 2024
auto_awesome
The discussion dives into the intriguing dynamics of the oil market for 2025 and 2026, highlighting how U.S. political shifts could reshape energy policies. There's an exploration of predicted surpluses in oil production, along with the challenges faced by OPEC amidst fluctuating global demand. Price forecasts reveal bearish trends, anticipating Brent prices under $60 by the end of 2026. The conversation also touches on geopolitical factors that could further influence these outcomes, particularly involving key players like Iran and Venezuela.
Trump's energy strategy aims to lower inflation by reducing energy prices through deregulation and exerting pressure on oil-exporting nations.
The oil market is projected to face significant surpluses by 2025 and 2026, leading to expected price declines below $60 per barrel.
Deep dives
Impact of Trump's Energy Policies on Oil Prices
Trump's campaign prominently features a focus on reducing energy prices as part of a broader strategy to combat inflation. Key aspects of this energy agenda include implementing tax cuts and deregulation to stimulate domestic production, while also exerting pressure on countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Russia to limit their oil exports. However, these conflicting strategies may hinder substantial growth in U.S. oil production during his term, with projections indicating only slight increases in average crude oil supplies. As a result, any rise in prices due to external pressures, such as sanctions, could overshadow the efforts to keep energy prices low.
Forecast for Oil Supply and Demand Balance
The outlook for global oil supply and demand indicates a significant surplus by 2025, transitioning from a balanced market in 2024. Demand growth is anticipated to slow, particularly as Chinese consumption resets lower, while non-OPEC supplies are expected to surge due to new offshore developments in countries like Brazil and Guyana. Consequently, the forecasts suggest Brent oil prices will average around $73 per barrel in 2025, with a bearish outlook for 2026 predicting prices may drop below $60 per barrel. This situation may lead some OPEC members to consider increasing production to stabilize the market amidst the anticipated surplus.
1.
Oil Market Forecast: Political Dynamics and Supply Trends for 2025/2026
President-elect Trump will return to the White House in January with a commitment to rapidly defeat inflation by lowering energy prices. Trump’s energy agenda presents downside risks to oil prices from deregulation and increased US production, while also posing upside risks by exerting pressure on Iran, Venezuela, and possibly Russia to limit their oil exports and revenues. But with US oil supply growth moderating and GCC countries unlikely to offset lost exports, any policies that might raise oil prices will likely defer to Trump’s key objective of maintaining low energy prices. Weak oil supply-demand fundamentals may, however, help Trump keep his promise to bring down oil prices. Our view on 2025 has remained largely unchanged over the past year: we look for a large 1.3 mbd surplus and an average Brent of $73, although we expect prices to close the year firmly below $70, with WTI at $64. In 2026, another year of large surpluses will drive Brent prices below $60 by year-end, with an average Brent forecast of $61 and WTI at $57.
Speaker:
Natasha Kaneva, Head of Global Commodities Research