London February 27 2023: Vitol Group said oil prices could return to triple digits later this year as consumption climbs and the market tightens.
“Demand is expected to hit record levels in the second half of the year,” Chief Executive Officer Russell Hardy said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “The prospect of higher prices in the second half of the year, in the sort of $90-$100 range, is a real possibility.”
Benchmark Brent crude is currently hovering around $83 a barrel in London. Oil has traded within a tight $10 range so far this year as investors weigh a welter of conflicting forces, including the outlook for supplies from Russia, China’s reopening, and the trajectory of monetary policy.
Other trading giants have also outlined bullish views, with Trafigura predicting that prices will head above $90 a barrel and reach $100 at some point this year, and Mercuria Energy Group anticipating price gains that will extend into 2024. Some of the biggest names on Wall Street such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley also forecast a rally in the second half.
Oil inventory levels look “reasonable” over the next months but should tighten after that, Hardy said. Demand for most oil products is exceeding pre-pandemic levels, while gasoline is “fairly flat” and jet fuel remains “in catch-up mode” as travel gradually returns to normal, he explained.
Sanctions on Russia have created some logistical issues as cargoes are re-routed on longer routes to buyers in Asia, prompting Moscow’s recent warning that it will curb production. However, Europe has comfortable inventory levels and isn’t facing strain from the upheaval, Hardy said.
Over the long-term, plans for “enormous investment” in renewable energy are bringing forward the point at which global oil consumption ultimately tops out, which is likely to come around the end of the decade, he added. Investment is still needed in oil supplies in the meantime.
“We’re on a very rapid path to de-carbonization,” Hardy said.
