Oil prices eased this week; Would alleviate some pressure on Pakistan finances but any such relief is short lived considering our chronic structural issues
This week, oil could have ended with a gain after dropping for several weeks since early April when Brent peaked above $91. On Friday, Brent initially rose above $84 on declining US inventory, climbing more than a dollar over the previous week. However, oil prices fell from the week's high as comments from U.S. central bank officials indicated a likelihood of higher interest rates for a longer period. For the week, Brent crude futures settled at $82.79 a barrel, marking a 0.2% loss, while WTI recorded a 0.2% rise. Looking ahead, oil will navigate between expectations of a robust US driving season, Chinese demand, and geopolitical factors in the coming week. Next week, U.S. inflation data could influence Fed decisions on rates. In other development, at the start of the week, Saudi Arabia raised the price of its oil to customers in Asia, including China, ahead of an OPEC+ meeting on production targets next month. This marked the third consecut...