
Oil gains as wildfires threaten Canada supply
Oil prices rose by over 2% on Monday, despite producer group OPEC+ sticking with output hike plans, as wildfires burning in Canada's oil-producing province threatened supply and President Donald Trump's new tariff threats weighed on the US dollar.
Brent crude futures climbed by $1.76, or 2.8%, to $64.54 a barrel by 1814 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up $1.63, or 2.68%, at $62.42.
Wildfires burning in Canada's oil-producing province of Alberta have affected about 7% of the country's overall crude oil output as of Monday, according to Reuters calculations.
At least two thermal oil sands operators south of the industry hub of Fort McMurray evacuated workers from their sites over the weekend and shut production as a precaution.
Also supporting prices, the US dollar slipped across the board on Monday on worries that Trump's fresh tariff threats might hurt growth and stoke inflation.
A weaker US currency makes dollar-priced commodities like oil less expensive for buyers using other currencies. Prices were also supported by the increased geopolitical risk premium after Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
19 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
UAE seeks US trade deal to roll back Trump's steel and aluminium tariffs
The United States and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to start negotiations for a potential bilateral trade agreement that could ease tariffs on the Gulf state's steel and aluminium industry, according to four people familiar with the matter. Emirati officials discussed the possibility of a trade agreement with U.S. counterparts during President Donald Trump's two-day visit to Abu Dhabi last month, the sources said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Emirati officials. Like other nations, the UAE has been hit by Trump's 10% baseline tariff on its exports to the United States. But its steel and aluminium products have also been hit by a 25% tariff that the Trump administration is now doubling to 50%. While the UAE is a major oil producer, its steel and aluminium products are significant non-oil exports. In 2024, the UAE was the second-largest steel and aluminium exporter to the U.S., accounting for 8% of total U.S. consumption, data shows. In Abu Dhabi, Emirati officials highlighted to U.S. counterparts comprehensive trade deals that it had signed with other countries over the past three years, the sources said. Aluminium premiums for US buyers soars after Trump doubles tariffs The UAE was capable of moving quickly on trade talks, Emirati officials told their U.S. counterparts, they said. The Gulf state has signed bilateral trade deals, known as Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements, with several countries since 2022, including India, Turkey and Australia. The pact with India was negotiated in just 88 days. The sources said that U.S. officials had responded positively, although it was unclear when talks would start. Two of the sources said Washington was likely to negotiate a limited deal that would fall short of a comprehensive free trade pact. However, they said any agreement, if reached, would likely still be called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the same branding as the UAE's other trade deals. The UAE is Washington's biggest trade partner in the Middle East, according to the Gulf state's foreign ministry. Bilateral trade in 2024 was valued at $34.4 billion, according to U.S. trade data, with the U.S. enjoying a $19.4 billion surplus. The Gulf state, which is reliant on the U.S. security umbrella, has pledged to invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. over the next decade. Its sovereign wealth funds, including Abu Dhabi's $330-billion Mubadala, are already big U.S. investors, and Trump and his family have business interests in the UAE. The UAE is influential in the region and hosts American soldiers on its bases. It is also negotiating a free trade agreement with the European Union. Gulf states Oman and Bahrain have bilateral free trade agreements with the U.S.


Business Recorder
33 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Trump says Fed's Powell must lower interest rate
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday redoubled his calls for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates, noting that payroll processing firm ADP reported that job creation slowed in May. 'ADP number out. 'Too Late' Powell must now lower the rate. He is unbelievable. Europe has lowered nine times,' Trump said in a Truth Social post. ADP reported on Wednesday that U.S. private payrolls increased far less than expected in May, increasing by only 37,000 jobs last month after a 60,000 rise in April that was revised downward. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private employment increasing 110,000 following a previously reported gain of 62,000 in April. Wednesday's ADP data came ahead of a more comprehensive employment report that will be released on Friday by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. US tariffs could push up inflation, slow growth: Fed official Trump, a Republican, has hammered Powell for months in often personal attacks, with his calls for the Fed chair's resignation weighing on U.S. stocks and financial markets. Trump's repeated attacks have raised questions about the continued independence of the U.S. central bank under the Trump administration, although the U.S. president last month said he would not remove the Fed chair before his term ends in May 2026.


Business Recorder
33 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
US stocks shrug off gloomy private hiring data
WASHINGTON: Wall Street stocks logged modest gains in early trading Wednesday, as investors remained cautious of overreacting to data that showed private sector hiring hit its lowest level in more than two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2 percent to 42,615.34, while the broad-based S&P 500 index advanced 0.3 percent to 5,989.01. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.4 percent to 19,479.38. Data released by payroll firm ADP before markets opened showed that private sector employment rose by 37,000 jobs in May, a slowdown from 60,000 in April. This was the slowest pace since March 2023, the report said, and significantly below expectations of 115,000 according to a consensus forecast. The data prompted US President Donald Trump to lash out at Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell on social media, urging him again to lower interest rates. Chip stocks lift Wall Street as investors await trade negotiations But markets were sanguine as investors await official payroll data due Friday. ADP's hiring figures are 'very much an imperfect predictor of the monthly (employment) numbers that come out two days later,' said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. 'As a result, whenever the market does react to those numbers, it tends to not do so too dramatically,' he added. 'Traders don't want to overreact.' Traders are also monitoring trade tensions between the United States and China. Stock markets have fluctuated as Trump accused Beijing of violating a pact to de-escalate tariffs, a claim that China has rejected. On Wednesday, Trump said it was 'extremely hard' to reach a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Beijing hitting back by saying its stance in trade negotiations had been 'consistent.'