The Coronavirus Oil Shock Is Just Getting Started (with N. Mulder)

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The idea of a negative price for any commodity is outlandish, implying the seller is prepared to pay a buyer. But for oil, the largest commodity market in the world, the basic fuel of modernity, to be trading at negative prices is nothing short of mind-boggling. In the early afternoon EDT of April 20, the May contract for West Texas crude touched negative $40.32. It was a succinct demonstration of how severe the impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been.

What triggered the inversion of prices on April 20 was the overflow of unsellable oil in the tank farms of Cushing, Oklahoma, where U.S. oil futures are settled. But the collapse in oil prices has sent shockwaves rippling around the world.

Read the full article at Foreign Policy

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