Investing.com — Crude prices fell on the last trading day of September on growing uneasiness over how the world might cope in the coming months with exploding energy costs, even as the U.S. economy and inflation appeared to have escaped the worst of such impact right away. Those long oil also won big on the month and quarter, helped largely by chokes on Saudi and Russian supply.
New York-traded West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, crude for delivery in November settled at $90.79 per barrel, down 92 cents, or 1%, on the day.
While WTI fell on the day, it rose 0.8% on the week, resuming its rally from the end of August after a one-week hiatus last week. For the month, the U.S. crude benchmark rose 8.5%, making September its best since July’s gain of nearly 16%.
The July-September period, where WTI rose 26.5%, also marked the best quarter for the U.S. benchmark since the first three months of 2022. Then WTI traded as high as $130 a barrel as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine opened the way for Western sanctions on Moscow that began the long-running disruption in global commodity flows. Now, WTI is within striking range of triple-digit pricing, reaching a 13-month high of $95.03 on Sept. 28.
London-traded Brent for the most-active December contract settled at $92.20 a barrel, down 90 cents, or 1%, on the day. The global crude benchmark rose 0.3% on the week, 6.8% on the month and 23% for the quarter. The global crude benchmark reached a 10-month high of $95.35 on Sept. 28.
“After an amazing week, month and quarter, oil was ready for some profit-taking,” said Ed Moya, analyst at online trading platform OANDA. “Energy traders quickly realized this wasn't the time for oil to rally above the $100 a barrel level, so they are cautiously
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