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2025-12-18 01:52:55
[Trump Orders Blockade of Venezuelan Tankers, Adding Uncertainty to Oil Price Rise] (1) Affected by former US President Trump's order to completely block all sanctioned Venezuelan tankers from entering and leaving the country, global geopolitical tensions escalated, coupled with easing market concerns about crude oil oversupply, leading to a rise in international oil prices by more than 1% on Wednesday. Brent crude futures rose 1.68% to $59.91 per barrel during the session, while West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 1.68% to $56.20 per barrel. (2) Oil prices had previously fallen to a near five-year low due to progress in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, but Trump's blockade order has brought new variables. Analysts pointed out that although Venezuela's crude oil production accounts for only 1% of the global total, its supply is concentrated in a few buyers, and its export uncertainty will disrupt the market. However, the unexpected increase in US gasoline and distillate inventories has to some extent suppressed the rise in oil prices. (3) Data from the US Energy Information Administration showed that US crude oil inventories decreased by 1.3 million barrels last week, but gasoline inventories increased by 4.8 million barrels, far exceeding expectations. The details of the blockade implementation are still unclear, and subsequent developments will continue to affect oil price trends.
