Oil Prices Surge More than 2% as Putin Mobilizes More Troops

Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform operated by Exxon Mobil are seen at the Guyana Shore Base Inc wharf on the Demerara River, south of Georgetown, Guyana January 23, 2020. (Reuters)
Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform operated by Exxon Mobil are seen at the Guyana Shore Base Inc wharf on the Demerara River, south of Georgetown, Guyana January 23, 2020. (Reuters)
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Oil Prices Surge More than 2% as Putin Mobilizes More Troops

Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform operated by Exxon Mobil are seen at the Guyana Shore Base Inc wharf on the Demerara River, south of Georgetown, Guyana January 23, 2020. (Reuters)
Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform operated by Exxon Mobil are seen at the Guyana Shore Base Inc wharf on the Demerara River, south of Georgetown, Guyana January 23, 2020. (Reuters)

Oil jumped more than 2% on Wednesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization, escalating the war in Ukraine and raising concerns of tighter oil and gas supply.

Brent crude futures rose $2.28, or 2.5%, to $92.90 a barrel by 0707 GMT after falling $1.38 the previous day.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $86.16 a barrel, up $2.22, or 2.6%.

Putin said he had signed a decree on partial mobilization beginning on Wednesday, saying he was defending Russian territories and that the West wanted to destroy the country.

The escalation will lead to increased uncertainty over Russian energy supplies, said Warren Patterson, head of commodities research at ING.

"The move could possibly lead to calls for more aggressive action against Russia in terms of sanctions from the west," he said.

Oil soared and touched a multi-year high in March after the Ukraine war broke out.

European Union sanctions banning seaborne imports of Russian crude will come into force on Dec. 5.

"It seems like a knee-jerk reaction to a sliver of news and would be liable to further recalibration in the coming hours," said Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights in Singapore.

Meanwhile, the United States said that it did not expect a breakthrough on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal at this week's UN General Assembly, reducing the prospects of a return of Iranian barrels to the international market.

The OPEC+ producer grouping - the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and associates including Russia - is now falling a record 3.58 million barrels per day short of its production targets, or about 3.5% of global demand. The shortfall highlights the underlying tightness of supply in the market.

Investors this week have been bracing for another aggressive interest rate hike from the US Federal Reserve that they fear could lead to recession and plunging fuel demand.

The Fed is widely expected to hike rates by 75 basis points for the third time in a row later on Wednesday in its drive to rein in inflation.

Meanwhile, US crude and fuel stocks rose by about 1 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 16, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday.

US crude oil inventories were estimated to have risen last week by around 2.2 million barrels in the week to Sept. 16, according to an extended Reuters poll.



Trump Warns EU of Tariffs over Canada's Potential Associate Membership

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Trump Warns EU of Tariffs over Canada's Potential Associate Membership

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump has threatened to take action against the EU if it moved forward with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to make Canada the bloc's first associate member.

"If they do that, if I think it's at all ⁠a hostile act, ⁠I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things," Trump told reporters en route to ⁠an event in North Carolina, calling the proposal "laughable."

"And so, if they do that, if Europe does that with a bad intention, if it's a good intention, that's fine. If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs ⁠on ⁠Europe."

Von der Leyen announced the proposal on Wednesday during her annual State of the Union speech, attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mick Carney, as she sought to deepen ties among allies in what she called "an openly hostile world.”


Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit Concludes with Agreements Exceeding SAR5 Billion

The fourth edition of the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2026 concluded on Wednesday. (SPA)
The fourth edition of the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2026 concluded on Wednesday. (SPA)
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Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit Concludes with Agreements Exceeding SAR5 Billion

The fourth edition of the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2026 concluded on Wednesday. (SPA)
The fourth edition of the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2026 concluded on Wednesday. (SPA)

The fourth edition of the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2026 concluded on Wednesday with more than 40 agreements, initiatives and announcements unveiled through partnerships, programs and projects with a combined estimated value exceeding SAR5 billion.

The initiatives aim to advance biotechnology localization and strengthen its healthcare and economic impact, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The summit drew delegations and experts from more than 57 countries and more than 200 speakers. The total number of visitors and registrants exceeded 15,000.

Its program included more than 80 sessions, along with seven high-level executive sessions, covering artificial intelligence, genomics, vaccines, biomanufacturing, advanced therapies, investment, and talent development.

The Life Sciences Innovation Forum attracted five specialized investment funds that expressed readiness to invest more than $120 million in promising opportunities and companies.

Meanwhile, the Next Generation Biotechnologist Forum focused on empowering early-career researchers and scientists.

The accompanying exhibition spanned more than 6,000 square meters and featured more than 120 sponsors and exhibitors, including international pavilions from Spain, China, Japan, Germany, the United States of America, and the Republic of Korea.


Goldman Sachs Sees October Fed Hike after Hawkish Signal

FILE PHOTO: The Federal Reserve building is set against a blue sky in Washington, US, May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Federal Reserve building is set against a blue sky in Washington, US, May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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Goldman Sachs Sees October Fed Hike after Hawkish Signal

FILE PHOTO: The Federal Reserve building is set against a blue sky in Washington, US, May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Federal Reserve building is set against a blue sky in Washington, US, May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Goldman Sachs now expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by another quarter point in October, making it one of the first major Wall Street banks to forecast consecutive rate hikes following the US central bank's hawkish signal on Wednesday.

The call represents a reversal of Goldman's earlier view that the US Fed had completed its tightening cycle after September's quarter-point increase.

Goldman said the Fed's updated rate projections, which showed a strong ⁠majority of policymakers ⁠expecting at least one more increase this year, pointed to a "two-hike baseline" for 2026.

The brokerage said October was the most likely timing for the next move because policymakers framed further tightening as supporting "a timelier return" to the Fed's 2% inflation target.

The ⁠Fed earlier on Wednesday raised interest rates by 25 basis points to a 3.75%-4.00% range.

Goldman said the meeting was more hawkish than expected, citing policymakers' rate projections, an upward revision to the neutral interest rate and Chair Kevin Warsh's repeated description of the move as having only "removed a dose of accommodation."

Traders see roughly 50% odds of another quarter-point Fed rate hike in October, according to CME Group's ⁠FedWatch tool, ⁠up sharply after policymakers signaled further tightening could be needed.

Goldman's revised forecast leaves Bank of America Global Research as the only other major brokerage expecting a more aggressive tightening path, with BofA projecting rate hikes in October and December, Reuters reported.

Markets will also be watching policy decisions from the Bank of England, due later in the day, and the Bank of Japan on Friday for further clues on the global interest-rate outlook.