Brent Oil Forecast: Brent Rises to Key Technical Resistance

By Dean Rogers

Many market participants are skeptical of Brent’s meteoric rise over the past three days. However, there is no denying the positive technical factors that indicate a bottom has likely been made. The monthly morning star setup and hammer, weekly bullish engulfing line, and daily three white soldiers candlestick patterns are reliable reversal patterns. KaseX also triggered reversal signals (gray arrows) early last week.

Brent Oil

Brent is on the teetering edge of confirming a sustained bullish outlook and has risen to the 50-day moving average at $54.47, the 38 percent retracement from $71.68, and the upper standard deviation band. A close over $54.5 will confirm a positive outlook and call for $55.4 and higher.

That said, because of the confluence of technical resistance at $54.5 this is a very likely stalling point. We expect a test of support at $51.9 within the next few days and likely before Brent closes over $54.5. A close below $51.9 would call for $50.6 and $49.7. The latter must hold for the near-term outlook to remain positive.

This is a brief Brent oil forecast and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

By Dean Rogers

On Friday evening I sat down to write Kase’s detailed weekly forecasts on WTI crude oil and Brent with an image of Chicken Little running around warning all of his pals that the sky is falling. This is a feeling that resonated with many market participants around the world as stock indices and commodities have plunged lower.

The reality is WTI and Brent will find a bottom soon, and there are logical/technical points at which these bottoms could form. From a technical standpoint, WTI crude oil is already well oversold and due for a correction. There are daily and weekly divergence setups on many momentum indicators, including our own KaseCD and KasePO, but this has been the case for weeks. Therefore, until a significant retracement takes place, reversal patterns form, and the daily and weekly momentum divergences are confirmed, the outlook will remain negative.

WTI met major support at $37.9 when it fell to $37.75 early Monday and settled at $38.24. Given today’s price action though, it looks as though the decline is going to continue to extend. WTI pulled back to $39.5 where an intraday double top formed, and the pattern was confirmed when prices fell below $38.3. The projection for the double top is $37.1. Look for at least $37.52, the 1.618 projection of the wave down from $39.5, and then $37.1 tomorrow.

crude oil

The small pullback from $37.83 may extend to $38.45 and even $38.88 first. The 38 percent retracement of the decline from $39.46 to $37.83 is $38.45 and the 62 percent retracement is $38.88. The latter is also the 0.618 projection of the wave up from $37.75 and is expected to hold. A close over this would call for an extended upward correction.

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

By Dean Rogers

The world’s supply of crude oil continues to outpace demand, and consequently the global supply glut is being forecast through 2016. WTI fell to its lowest level in over six years last week and Brent is inching its way closer to testing the $45.19 low made on January 13, 2015. A move below this would be the lowest price at which Brent has traded at in over six years.

Structurally, the market is overdue for a correction and Brent’s daily morning star setup, a bullish candlestick pattern, warns that such a correction might take place soon. The decline’s momentum is also weakening, and there are daily and weekly divergence setups for Brent.

Brent and products attempted to stabilize and even rise in a corrective manner last week, but the move stalled. On Friday Brent crude broke lower out of the intraday coil shown below on the $0.50 Kase Bar chart.

brent crude

The break lower out of the coil indicates the decline should continue. The waves projections down from $55.0 (green), $51.69 (light blue), and $50.83 (blue) call for at least $47.9. This is a confluent wave projection that connects to $46.9 and finally $45.5.

The move down is becoming a grind, but until Brent crude can close over at least $49.9, look for the move down to extend. A close over $49.9 would at least create the potential for an extended upward correction.

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

By Dean Rogers

For the past eight weeks September WTI crude oil futures have closed lower, and the decline is quickly approaching major support at $42.5. Many pundits claim the sky is falling, but it is usually at times like this that the market will finally find support and at least attempt to make a bottom.

We have discussed $42.5 as major target and potential bottom in our weekly blog update and in our detailed crude oil forecast for several weeks. There is no definitive evidence that the move down is going to end, but on Monday a few positive signs formed that indicate an extended upward correction may take place.

Monday’s bullish engulfing line, exhausted daily KasePO and KaseCD momentum, weekly divergence setups, and the intraday wave up from $43.35 all show that the upward correction may test $45.9 and possibly $47.5 before the decline continues.

wti crude oil

For now, there is no evidence that this will be a major correction, not yet at least, but the fact that the market is starting to show some positive signs of life could mean the move down will end soon.

That said, important resistance was met at $45.01, so we expect to see a pullback to $44.3, Monday’s midpoint, in early trading Tuesday. A close below $44.3 would negate many of the aforementioned positive factors and open the way for $42.5 to finally be met.

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

By Dean Rogers

RBOB Gasoline futures tested support at 167.43 on Monday and have taken out the crucial 169.25 swing low. The outlook is negative, but many technical factors, including Monday’s dip below the lower Bollinger Band, indicate a correction should take place once 160.0 is met. This is the confluence point between the 62 percent retracement of the move up from 122.65 and the 1.618 projection for the primary wave down from 218.58.

gasoline

Look for resistance at 172.3 and 181.3. The latter is expected to hold.

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

By Dean Rogers

Crude oil has taken on a strong bearish tone. There is very little technical evidence, and even less fundamental evidence, that the decline is going to end. However, it is almost always darkest before dawn and there are a few factors that show a correction should take place soon.

Last week’s update discussed major support at $47.0 for WTI and September Brent crude oil is quickly approaching major technical support at $52.8. This is the 1.618 projection for $71.37 – 62.3 – 62.49, the 0.618 projection for $67.49 – 55.6 – 59.9, and the lower Bollinger Band. The KasePO, shown in the middle panel of the chart above, and KaseCD, in the bottom panel, are setup for divergence and nearly in oversold territory. These factors indicate $52.8 is a potential stalling point and that a correction might take place before the decline continues to the next targets.

Brent

A normal correction will hold $55.6, the 38 percent retracement from $59.9. Key resistance is $57.2, the 62 percent retracement. We expect $55.6 to hold before the next leg lower takes place.

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

Prompt month WTI crude oil futures briefly fell below $50.0 on Monday and settled at the lowest level since April 2. The deal with Iran has led to fresh concerns about the global supply glut and most technical factors are negative. RBOB gasoline is lending some support, but on balance, the decline is poised to extend into the mid- and possibly low-$40s where the March 18th low of $42.03 would be challenged.

Prices broke lower out of the near perfect intraday bearish flag discussed last week. September WTI futures, which will become the prompt month on Wednesday, also settled below key support at $50.6 on Monday. This was the 1.618 projection of the wave $64.45 – 57.09 – 62.51. This is likely Wave I of a five wave trending pattern that should unfold to at least $47.0 and possibly $42.5. The five-wave pattern is not perfect, but the close below $50.6 and the bottom of Wave III leaves little room for any other interpretation.

WTI Crude Oil

When a five-wave pattern forms at least two of the three impulse waves (I, III, or V) should be equal. At $47.0 Waves I and V will be equal and at $42.5 Waves III and V will be equal. Structurally, both $47.0 and $42.5 fit the structure of the five-wave pattern because $47.0 is the 0.618 projection of Wave III, $62.51 – 50.95 – 54.35 and $42.5 is the 2.764 projection for Wave I.

It is important to note that $42.5 is the lowest that the five-wave pattern projects. Therefore, unless the structure of the wave formation drastically changes, it is not likely that prices will fall below $42.5 in coming weeks.

Odds favor the decline, but the market still seems a bit unsure of itself. As stated, there is some support being wrought by RBOB gasoline, but it ended Monday on a negative note by forming an evening star setup. The move down will likely be a grind and small tests of resistance will be commonplace. First resistance is $51.8 followed by $52.8, which is expected to hold. Key resistance is the $54.35 swing high. A close above this would negative the five-wave pattern and open the way for an extended correction and potential recovery to $59.3 and higher.

Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

Perfect geometric formations are a rare commodity. They are useful gems of information that can tell us a lot about a market’s outlook and general direction. It is important to pay attention to the implications of a successful break out of the pattern, and it is even more important to watch for patterns that fail.

WTI’s bearish flag on the $0.50 Kase Bar chart is as close to a textbook example as one will ever see. Flags are extremely reliable continuation patterns. Because this flag formed after a decline, and is sloping upwards, it is a bearish pattern that indicates the move up is corrective and that the decline should continue.

WTI Crude Oil

The waves within the flag have fulfilled the 1.00 projection for the wave $50.58 – 53.43 – 50.91. This is significant because it is evidence that the move up is unfolding as a three-wave ABC pattern, which is more evidence that the move is corrective.

Prices settled in the lower half of the formation on Monday, which does not bode well for another test of the upper trend line. A close below $51.8, which is near the bottom trend line, would indicate the move down is going to extend to at least $49.9. Our detailed weekly analysis discusses the connections to targets in the mid- to low-$40s upon a break lower.

There is an outside chance that the formation will fail, but prices will need to close over $54.8 to prove that an extended upward correction and potential recovery is underway. Technically, the flag will fail upon a close over the upper trend line, which is currently $54.2. However, for many technical reasons, $54.8 is the threshold for a positive near-term outlook. Most importantly, it is near the 38 percent retracement of the decline from $62.22 and the midpoint of July 6th.

For now, watch the flag formation closely. Odds favor a break lower and close below $51.8. The directional breakout of this pattern will be a strong clue as to the direction of WTI for the next several weeks.

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

As predicted WTI crude oil has broken lower out of the recent trading range and fell by nearly eight percent on Monday. The important 1.382 projection was met at the $52.41 swing low. Key support at $50.5 should be tested tomorrow. We consider this a decision point for a much more bearish outlook and decline into the mid-$40’s. Today’s action may even dust up talks about the $30s again, though we think that conversation is a bit premature. Look for resistance at Monday’s $54.4 midpoint. This may be tested in early trading Tuesday, but should hold.

wti crude oil

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.

The RBOB gasoline crack spread widened to $25.64 on Monday and could test $27.77 before narrowing again. Resistance near this level is expected to hold and the crack is poised to narrow now that the 0.618 projection of the wave down from $33.80 was met. We would look to short the crack spread soon because KaseX generated a filtered sell signal on June 25th. The key target at $19.00 is the 1.00 projection and the top of the gap that took place on February 23rd.

crack spread

This is a brief analysis and outlook for the near-term. Our weekly Crude Oil Commentary is a much more detailed and thorough energy price forecast. If you are interested, please sign up for a complimentary four week trial.