WTI recovers above $70.00 as Russia-Ukraine war escalates

■WTI price gains momentum to near 70.25 in Friday’s Asian session. 

■The supply worries due to the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war lift the WTI price. 

■US crude oil inventories built and a stronger USD might cap the WTI’s upside. 

West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $70.25 on Friday. The WTI price edges higher as an escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict raises the fear of crude supply disruption. 

The fears of a potential escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict fuelled the WTI price this week after Ukraine used missiles supplied by the US and UK into Russian territory. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile attack on a Ukrainian military facility. Putin also warned the West that Moscow could attack any country's military installations that utilised weapons against Russia, per Reuters. "The market's focus has now shifted to heightened concerns about an escalation in the war in Ukraine," said Ole Hvalbye, commodities analyst at SEB.

On the other hand, a rise in US crude inventories last week might weigh on the black gold. The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) weekly report showed Crude oil stockpiles in the United States for the week ending November 15 increased by 0.545 million barrels, compared to a rise of 2.089 million barrels in the previous week. The market consensus estimated that stocks would increase by 0.400 million barrels. 

Furthermore, the renewed US Dollar (USD) demand might cap the upside for the USD-denominated oil for the time being as it makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies, which can reduce demand. The US Dollar Index (DXY), a measure of the value of the USD against a basket of six currencies, currently trades near 107.05 after hitting a fresh year-to-date high of around 107.15.