Crude Oil Trading Strategy for TodayThe current WTI oil price of $61.2 is not merely a fluctuation center, but rather a "multiplier window" formed by the resonance of three core variables - "cost floor, geopolitical breakthrough, and sentiment correction" - indicating a "structural contradiction-driven short-term trend". It is clear that this is a "wave-like market phenomenon" rather than a trend reversal. However, the short-term upward momentum is highly certain:
The cost floor is clearly defined, with $60 being the "iron bottom".
The new well production break-even cost of US shale oil has reached $63 per barrel. The current price of $61.2 is already below the marginal production cost line. From the data, the number of active oil drilling rigs in the US has dropped to 424 (a decrease of 60 compared to the previous year), and if the oil price remains below $60, the shale oil production may be reduced by 1-1.5 million barrels per day next year. The supply contraction expectation has been priced in in advance. At the same time, non-OECD countries are accelerating their replenishment of stocks at low prices, forming "non-tradable inventories" to absorb excess supply, further strengthening the support at $60. The geopolitical sanctions are intensifying, leading to a structural rift in the supply side.
After the US imposed secondary sanctions on Russian oil, India's 1.7 million barrels per day Russian oil long-term contract faces the risk of termination. This part of the demand is now shifting to the spot market in the Middle East, directly pushing the Dubai crude oil premium to $2.1 per barrel (a 3-month high). More importantly, the actual spare capacity of OPEC+ has been seriously overestimated - Saudi Arabia's actual spare capacity is only 60-100 thousand barrels per day, far below the claimed 2.43 million barrels per day, and the OPEC+ has only increased production by 61% for five consecutive months, highlighting the capacity bottleneck and inability to fill potential supply gaps.
The market sentiment is overly pessimistic, with a significant recovery space.
As of October 23rd, the speculative net long position has dropped to a historical low. When Brent oil price fell below $60, 80% of traders held a bearish stance, forming a typical "extreme emotional state". However, the month spread structure still remains positive (Backwardation), not entering the Contango structure, indicating that the spot market does not have a real surplus. The previous decline was more dominated by sentiment, and the demand for recovery is strong.
Crude Oil Trading Strategy for Today
buy:61-61.3
tp:61.6-61.9
SL:60
