WTI Crude Struggles Amid Tariff Threats and Volatile Macro Backdrop

Energy Update

/ by BlueLineFutures

WTI Crude Struggles Amid Tariff Threats and Volatile Macro Backdrop

WTI Crude Oil futures settled lower again yesterday on Trump tariff threats. Over the past two days, the president has threatened to tariff imports from Canada and Mexico at 25% and China at 10% starting February 1st.

By: Bill Baruch:

WTI Crude Oil Futures (March)

Yesterday’s Settlement: 75.83, down -1.56 [-2.02%]

WTI Crude Oil futures settled lower again yesterday on Trump tariff threats. Over the past two days, the president has threatened to tariff imports from Canada and Mexico at 25% and China at 10% starting February 1st.

Yesterday, the Houthis announced they would quit attacking British and American-flagged ships passing through the Red Sea. This should ease shipping costs and times of crude oil.

The cold and snowy forecasts we detailed in the previous weeks have been realized. Wells in Texas through North Dakota have been shut in due to the cold and snowy conditions and export / refinery hubs in the gulf are facing delays. The snow and cold as a bullish catalyst was largely priced into markets in the lead-up to this week when the forecasts were released.

Today, futures are lower by -0.26 [-0.33%]

There has been a sharp drop in the dollar over the past two sessions that has not followed through into crude pricing.

The main driver of crude has been the Trump tariff threats. Tariffs are great at quickly slowing the global economy, which correlates directly with lower crude oil usage.

This morning, India widened their approval of Russian insurers which will allow some of their cheap Russian crude imports to remain flowing.

This morning, the macro environment is trading mixed to risk-on. Equities are stronger alongside bonds while the dollar is weaker and gold is higher. Dollar weakness is something to eye closely as the long dollar trade is either at interim support or faces the risk of a reversal at these levels.

Technical Analysis:

Futures settled within our pivot range of 75.75-76.16 yesterday, leaving no clear trade in sight. Our closest high conviction buy area lies at the 74.18-74.49* level. We have yet to see a retest of the 76.93-77.04* level which will be telling for the price action momentum to come.

Our pivot and point of balance will remain at the 75.75-76.16 level for the day as we’d like to gauge a settlement above or below this level before gauging the probability of the next move. Traders should remain prepared for amplified volatility as we face expanded ranges and a volatile macroeconomic and political backdrop.

Want to stay informed about energy markets? 

Subscribe to our daily Energy Update for essential insights into Crude Oil and more. Get expert technical analysis, proprietary trading levels, and actionable market biases delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now for free futures market research from Blue Line Futures!

Sign Up for Free Futures Market Research – Blue Line Futures

Sign up for a 14-day, no-obligation free trial of our proprietary research with actionable ideas! Free Trial Start Trading with Blue Line Futures Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Email info@Bluelinefutures.com or call 312-278-0500 with any questions -- our trade desk is here to help with anything on the board!

Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. Therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources Blue Line Futures, LLC believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

Blue Line Futures is a member of NFA and is subject to NFA’s regulatory oversight and examinations. However, you should be aware that the NFA does not have regulatory oversight authority over underlying or spot virtual currency products or transactions or virtual currency exchanges, custodians or markets. Therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you considering your financial condition.

With Cyber-attacks on the rise, attacking firms in the healthcare, financial, energy and other state and global sectors, Blue Line Futures wants you to be safe! Blue Line Futures will never contact you via a third party application. Blue Line Futures employees use only firm authorized email addresses and phone numbers. If you are contacted by any person and want to confirm identity please reach out to us at info@bluelinefutures.com or call us at 312- 278-0500



Blue Line Futures

141 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 2620 Chicago, IL 60604

info@bluelinefutures.com
(312) 278-0500
(F) (888) 370-2221

Quick Links
Markets
About

© 2025 by Blue Line Futures, LLC. All rights reserved.
Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors.

Privacy Policy Illustration by Freepik Storyset

Get in touch with us today.
Press the contact us button to reach out to us or take a look at our social media pages.

Contact Us


Futures trading involves a substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. Therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources Blue Line Futures, LLC believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

Blue Line Futures is a member of NFA and is subject to NFA’s regulatory oversight and examinations. However, you should be aware that the NFA does not have regulatory oversight authority over underlying or spot virtual currency products or transactions or virtual currency exchanges, custodians, or markets. Therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you considering your financial condition.

With Cyber-attacks on the rise, attacking firms in the healthcare, financial, energy, and other state and global sectors, Blue Line Futures wants you to be safe! Blue Line Futures will never contact you via a third-party application. Blue Line Futures employees use only firm-authorized email addresses and phone numbers. If you are contacted by any person and want to confirm your identity please reach out to us at info@bluelinefutures.com or call us at 312- 278-0500

Performance Disclaimer

Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. In fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program.

One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk in actual trading. For example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses are material points that can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program that cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results all of which can adversely affect actual trading results.

Research Disclaimer

All information, communications, publications, and reports, including this specific material, used and distributed by Blue Line Futures LLC shall be construed as, or is in the nature of, a Solicitation for entering into a futures transaction. Blue Line Futures LLC does not employ research analysts, or maintain a research department as defined in CFTC Regulation 1.71.

Seasonal Disclaimer

This message and its content is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and should not be shared with additional parties. Seasonal tendencies are a composite of some of the most consistent commodity futures seasonals that have occurred in the past several years. There are usually underlying, fundamental circumstances that occur annually that tend to cause the futures markets to react in similar directional manner during a certain calendar year even if a seasonal tendency occurs in the futures, it may not result in a profitable transaction as fees and the timing of the entry and liquidation may impact on the results. No representation is being made that any account has in the past, or will in the futures, achieve profits using these recommendations. No representation is being made that price patterns will recur in the future.

To top