Displaying items by tag: sanctions

(Houston)

The oil market is nervous, which seems likely to lead to volatility. The surprise is that sharp moves may trend to the upside rather than the downside. The two big concerns are about how sanctions on Iran may crimp output, as well as how OPEC lacks spare capacity to boost output. Such concerns are a stark change from the attitude that accompanied the sharp price falls in recent weeks, when supply seemed to be expanding strongly.

FINSUM: The Saudis are saying they will expand production to a record, but the reality is they do not want to do so because they don’t want prices to fall. It seems like OPEC will walk a line to keep prices where they are.

(Istanbul)

Following a diplomatic spat with the US that has thrust Turkey into an economic tailspin, the country is entering full-blown crisis mode. Turkey’s Lira is down more than 35% this year and fell another 5% overnight. Bond yields are soaring alongside the losses, with the country’s ten-year yielding over 20%, a move exacerbated by Istanbul’s large budget deficit. The crisis is going so badly that the EU is seeking to limit the Eurozone’s banks from exposure to Turkey’s meltdown. BBVA, UniCredit, and BNP Paribas have the most exposure to Turkey.

FINSUM: There is no end in sight to the selloff. The big hope is that Turkey is supposed to unveil a new economic model today that will show how it plans to cut debt and shrink its budget deficit. That would be a start.