Crude prices fell ahead of a meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers led by Russia, at which the countries are expected to agree to boost production.
Futures for Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded down 2.2% at $113.74 a barrel, with the market expecting supply to rise following a meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ 13 members and 10 non-OPEC producers Thursday. The U.S. and Europe have pressed the group, dubbed OPEC+, to pump more crude, as Russia - Ukraine war has sent oil prices soaring above $100 a barrel.
Some OPEC members are exploring the idea of suspending Russia’s participation in a production deal, as Western sanctions and a partial European ban begin to undercut Moscow’s ability to pump more, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Futures for the S&P 500 added 0.6% Thursday. Contracts for the tech-focused Nasdaq-100 gained 0.8% and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%. Major stock indexes declined Wednesday in a volatile trading session to start the month.
VIX fell 0.4% and VIXmain fell 1.1% separately.
Gold rose 0.6% to $1860.
In bond markets, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note ticked down Thursday to 2.915% from 2.930% Wednesday. Yields and prices move inversely.
Investors have struggled in recent months to assess how much and how quickly the Federal Reserve will boost interest rates in a quest to temper inflation. Some money managers worry that policy tightening could slow economic growth or even tip the U.S. into a recession.
Supply-chain disruptions exacerbated by the pandemic have been further hit by the war in Ukraine and China’s zero-Covid strategy. This has added to the cost of energy, food and other commodities this year.
An effort to ship grain stranded by the Russia-Ukraine war showed progress Wednesday. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has been leading discussions on how to transport grain and sunflower oil that has been blockaded in Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea—and to get Russian grain and fertilizer to world markets.
“It’s a very difficult environment. There are so many factors at play here, and the dynamics are very difficult to interpret,” said Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank. “We think the Fed will have to be extremely aggressive to get inflation under control.”
Investors are monitoring data on the labor market. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has expressed concern in recent months that the labor market is overheating. A tight labor market can add to inflation as competition for workers boosts wage-bargaining power.
The ADP employment report, which is due out at 8:15 a.m. ET, is expected to show that the U.S. private sector added 299,000 jobs in May. Weekly data on Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits are due out at 8:30 a.m.
In premarket trading, shares of Chewy rallied 17% after the online pet-products retailer turned in a surprise profit and forecast a revenue range that was mostly above Wall Street estimates.
Overseas, the pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 gained 0.5%. U.K. markets were closed for a holiday.
Major indexes in Asia closed lower, with South Korea’s Kospi and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng each falling 1%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged down 0.2%, while China’s Shanghai Composite bucked the trend to add 0.4%.
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