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Oil Set for Steepest Weekly Decline in Two Years as Risk Subsides

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Set for Steepest Weekly Decline in Two Years as Risk Subsides

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices rose on Friday though were set for their steepest weekly decline since March 2023, as the absence of significant supply disruption from the Iran-Israel conflict saw any risk premium evaporate.

Brent crude futures rose 50 cents, or 0.7%, to $68.23 a barrel by 1036 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 49 cents, or nearly 0.8%, to $65.73.

During the 12-day war that started after Israel targeted Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13, Brent prices rose briefly to above $80 a barrel before slumping to $67 a barrel after US President Donald Trump announced an Iran-Israel ceasefire.

That put both contracts on course for a weekly fall of about 12%.

"The market has almost entirely shrugged off the geopolitical risk premiums from almost a week ago as we return to a fundamentals-driven market," said Rystad analyst Janiv Shah.

"The market also has to keep eyes on the OPEC+ meeting – we do expect room for one more month of an accelerated unwinding basis balances and structure, but the key question is how strong the summer demand indicators are showing up to be."

The OPEC+ members will meet on July 6 to decide on August production levels.

Prices were also being supported by multiple oil inventory reports that showed strong draws in the middle distillates, said Tamas Varga, a PVM Oil Associates analyst.

Data from the US Energy Information Administration on Wednesday showed crude oil and fuel inventories fell a week earlier, with refining activity and demand rising.

Meanwhile, data on Thursday showed that the independently held gasoil stocks at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub fell to their lowest in over a year, while Singapore's middle distillates inventories declined as net exports climbed week on week.

Additionally, China's Iranian oil imports surged in June as shipments accelerated before the conflict and demand from independent refineries improved, analysts said.

China is the world's top oil importer and biggest buyer of Iranian crude. It bought more than 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude from June 1-20, according to ship-tracker Vortexa, a record high based on the firm's data.

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Saudi Arabia Says World Economic Forum Postpones Jeddah Meeting

A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP
A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP
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Saudi Arabia Says World Economic Forum Postpones Jeddah Meeting

A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP
A World Economic Forum (WEF) logo. AFP

The World Economic Forum ⁠has postponed its Global ⁠Collaboration and Growth Meeting, originally ⁠set for April 22–23 in Jeddah, following consultations with the Saudi Ministry of Economy and ⁠Planning, citing ⁠current regional developments.

Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim stressed in January the need for sustained dialogue to accelerate global growth, calling on participants to engage actively in the meeting.

The Ministry of Economy and Planning affirmed Tuesday that the Kingdom has made comprehensive preparations to host the meeting and remains fully equipped to convene it, reflecting its continued role as a global platform for dialogue and agenda setting.

Building on its proven track record of convening major international gatherings, including the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh in 2024, the ministry said it looks forward to hosting the Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting at a date to be announced in due course.

The World Economic Forum said: “The Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting will serve as a leading platform for shaping constructive global dialogue. Following coordination between the World Economic Forum and the Ministry of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia, it has been agreed to reschedule the meeting to maximize its global impact.”
 

Business

IMF: Conflict Casts Shadow on Morocco's Economic Growth

FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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IMF: Conflict Casts Shadow on Morocco's Economic Growth

FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
FILE PHOTO: An MSC container ship crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, near the northern tip of the port of Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The International Monetary Fund has warned that in the near term, growth in Morocco would be impacted by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Executive Board of the IMF concluded last week the 2026 Article IV consultation with Morocco and completed the Mid-Term Review under the Flexible Credit Line Arrangement (FCL), which was approved on April 2, 2025.

The Staff Report issued on Monday said that real GDP growth is projected at 4.4 percent for 2026, 4.5 percent for 2027, and 4 percent over the medium term, assuming normalized agriculture production and continued infrastructure investment with greater private sector participation.

Real GDP growth in 2025 accelerated to an estimated 4.9 percent, supported by a rebound in agricultural output and a surge in large-scale infrastructure projects, the IMF said.

Nonetheless, high unemployment remains a significant challenge. Average inflation remained low at 0.8 percent, allowing Bank Al-Maghrib to maintain a neutral policy stance after earlier rate cuts.

The IMF lauded strong revenue performance that facilitated a smaller than anticipated overall fiscal deficit at 3.5 percent of GDP.

The overall fiscal deficits for 2026 and the medium term are consistent with a gradual reduction in debt to GDP to 60.5 percent by 2031.

The current account widened to 2.1 percent of GDP as imports rose with investment, partly offset by buoyant tourism.

“Sustainable job creation remains a pressing priority, and calls for a more dynamic private sector, leveling the playing field between public and private entities, and further reforms in the labor market,” the IMF said.

“Morocco continues to meet the qualification criteria for the Flexible Credit Line arrangement. Morocco has a sustained track record of implementing very strong macroeconomic policies and remains committed to maintaining such policies in the future, and continues to have very strong economic fundamentals and institutional policy frameworks. The authorities intend to continue treating the FCL arrangement as precautionary and to gradually exit it, depending on the evolution of external risks,” said IMF Deputy Managing Director and Chair Kenji Okamura.

Business

Taiwan to Skip WTO Conference after Labeled 'Province of China'

Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
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Taiwan to Skip WTO Conference after Labeled 'Province of China'

Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
Taipei 101 building, seen from a park in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Taiwan said on Tuesday it will skip a high-level World Trade Organization meeting for the first time following a dispute with host nation Cameroon over the name used for the democratic island in visa documents.

The Taiwanese foreign ministry said it had lodged a "stern protest" after Cameroon designated the island "Taiwan, Province of China" in paperwork issued to the island's delegation before it departed for the March 26-29 event.

Cameroon then granted members of the group a "visa exemption", but the document did not mention their nationality, misspelled some English names and identified almost all of them as female, the ministry said.

The ministry also said in a statement it was clear that the central African country "had no sincere intention of resolving the issue".

China claims Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory and has tried to erase the self-governed island from the international stage by blocking or hindering its access to global forums. It also opposes the designations "Taiwan" or "Republic of China", its official name.

"The one-China principle is the political prerequisite for the Taiwan region of China to participate in the WTO," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Lin accused Taiwan's ruling party of "engaging in political manipulation under the pretext of attending the meeting".

According to AFP, Taipei called its WTO snub a matter of "national dignity".

"Considering that our delegation members might encounter obstruction if they attempted to enter Cameroon with a document full of incorrect information, and in order to uphold our national dignity, we had no choice but to be absent," the Taiwanese foreign ministry said.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that our country joined the WTO as a 'separate customs territory' not subordinate to any other member, and that our equal right to participate must not be infringed."

It previously accused Cameroon of "subservience to China".

The WTO declined to comment.

Taiwan joined the WTO in 2002, shortly after China, and its official name at the organization is the "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei)".

The WTO ministerial conference, its highest decision-making body, will take place in Cameroon's capital Yaounde. It is usually held every other year.