Crude Oil: Why You Should Look Beyond Supply / Demand

The primary regulator of the rises and falls in oil's prices is market psychology

By Elliott Wave International

As I write on the morning of Friday, Nov. 18, crude oil is on track for its second weekly decline.

The financial media usually finds "reasons" for a market's price action that are rooted in "market fundamentals," and this decline in oil's price was no exception.

On Thurs., Nov. 17, a CNBC headline noted:

Oil falls on easing geopolitical tension, China demand outlook

The gist of the story was that a rising number of COVID-19 cases in China would contribute to a lower demand for crude oil in the world's second largest economy; hence, the falling prices.

However, Elliott Wave International has observed over the years that supply and demand doesn't play as large of a role in oil's price trend as widely believed. Indeed, all too often, oil's price moves in the opposite direction from what supply and demand observers expect.

That's why we would argue -- and this may seem like a radical notion -- that changes in the supply and demand for oil are far more a result of price fluctuations than a cause of them.

Let me explain. This chart and commentary from Robert Prechter's Socionomic Theory of Finance provides insight:

Elliott waves of social mood, as reflected in stock prices, regulate feelings of optimism and pessimism among producers, alternately motivating them to overproduce and then underproduce oil relative to contemporaneous consumption. Their optimism makes them believe business will expand, so they produce more; and their pessimism makes them believe business will contract, so they produce less. This depiction of causality accounts quite well for the rises and falls in oil's production/consumption ratio.

You may be interested in knowing that our crude oil analysis in our monthly Global Market Perspective is also based on Elliott waves of market psychology.

On Nov. 4, when the November Global Market Perspective published (the Global Market Perspective is a monthly Elliott Wave International publication which covers 50-plus global financial markets), Elliott Wave International's chief energy analyst said:

... at this juncture the intermediate-term outlook remains down.

On the date this forecast was made, WTI Crude Oil (NYMEX) closed at $91.45. As of this writing on the morning of Nov. 18, WTI Crude Oil is at $79.35 a barrel. Note that the Global Market Perspective's Nov. 4 forecast didn't mention a single "geopolitical" or "fundamental" factor. Elliott Wave International's chief energy analyst relied strictly on the bearish picture of market psychology in crude oil's price charts.

Do know that Elliott wave analysis does not always work out to a "T;" however, it's the best forecasting method for oil prices -- and other liquid markets -- of which Elliott Wave International knows. That's why Elliott Wave International has relied on it for over 40 years.

If you'd like to delve into the details of Elliott wave analysis, read Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior by Frost & Prechter. Here's a quote from this Wall Street classic:

In the 1930s, Ralph Nelson Elliott discovered that stock market prices trend and reverse in recognizable patterns. The patterns he discerned are repetitive in form but not necessarily in time or amplitude. Elliott isolated five such patterns, or "waves," that recur in market price data. He named, defined and illustrated these patterns and their variations. He then described how they link together to form larger versions of themselves, how they in turn link to form the same patterns of the next larger size, and so on, producing a structured progression. He called this phenomenon The Wave Principle.

You may be interested in knowing that you can access the entire online version of the book for free once you become a member of Club EWI, the world's largest Elliott wave educational community.

A Club EWI membership is also free, and members enjoy instant and complimentary access to a variety of Elliott wave resources on financial markets, investing and trading without any obligation.

Join Club EWI now by following this link: Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- get free and unlimited access.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Crude Oil: Why You Should Look Beyond Supply / Demand. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

"Banks are becoming more cautious about lending"

And the implications are bigger than just getting a loan

By Elliott Wave International

Robert Prechter's Last Chance to Conquer the Crash discusses the psychological aspect of a deflation:

When the trend of social mood changes from optimism to pessimism, creditors, debtors, investors, producers and consumers all change their primary orientation from expansion to conservation. As creditors become more conservative, they slow their lending.

Evidence of that developing financially conservative mindset is seen in this chart from the just-published November Global Market Perspective, a monthly Elliott Wave International publication which covers 50-plus worldwide financial markets (commentary below):

Eurozone stock market indices have declined this year indicating that the trend in social mood is negative. This trend towards ever more caution can be seen in the chart, from the latest Euro Area Bank Lending Survey released by the European Central Bank. It shows that a net 19% of banks are tightening credit standards, up from a neutral zero at the end of last year, meaning that banks are becoming more cautious about lending.

Just know that there's room for many more banks to tighten credit standards.

What does a rising trend in tightening credit standards mean? Let's return to the November Global Market Perspective:

As credit conditions become ever tighter, expect defaults to rise and debt to deflate.

And, speaking of defaults, here are some recent news items:

• Private lender cuts Canada mortgage business as defaults rise (The Business Times, Oct. 30)
• Ally Financial Inc. ... saw charge-offs for retail auto loans quadruple in the third quarter. (Bloomberg, Oct. 21)
• Leveraged Loan Default Volume In The U.S. Has Tripled This Year (Forbes, Oct. 2)

As social mood continues to grow more negative, expect more defaults in various sectors around the world.

Know that the price trend of the stock market directly reflects social mood, and Elliott Wave International's way of keeping on top of the stock market's trend is by employing the Elliott wave model.

If you'd like to learn about Elliott wave analysis, the definitive text on the subject is Frost & Prechter's Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior. Here's a quote from the book:

The Wave Principle is governed by man's social nature, and since he has such a nature, its expression generates forms. As the forms are repetitive, they have predictive value.

Sometimes the market appears to reflect outside conditions and events, but at other times it is entirely detached from what most people assume are causal conditions. The reason is that the market has a law of its own. It is not propelled by the external causality to which one becomes accustomed in the everyday experiences of life. The path of prices is not a product of news. Nor is the market the cyclically rhythmic machine that some declare it to be. Its movement reflects a repetition of forms that is independent both of presumed causal events and of periodicity.

The market's progression unfolds in waves. Waves are patterns of directional movement.

If you'd like to access the online version of this Wall Street classic, you may do so for free once you become a member of Club EWI, the world's largest Elliott wave educational community.

You can join Club EWI for free and do know that members enjoy complimentary access to an abundance of Elliott wave resources on investing and trading.

Get started by following this link: Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- get free and instant access.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline "Banks are becoming more cautious about lending". EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

Crude Oil: 23 Years of Spot-on Forecasts You Can Fact-Check

For commodities like crude oil, supply and demand factors aren't everything

By Elliott Wave International

Everyone who drives a car is relieved that gas prices have dropped from what they were a little while back.

However, if one major Wall Street firm is correct, get ready for higher prices at the pump again. This is a Nov. 1 headline from Markets Insider:

Tightening oil supply will drive crude oil prices to $115 a barrel by April, Goldman Sachs strategist says

Of course, higher crude oil prices mean higher gas prices and vice versa.

But does a "tightening oil supply" mean higher crude oil prices? Well, that's certainly conventional wisdom, but as Elliott Wave International has observed over the decades, you cannot count on conventional wisdom.

Indeed, Chapter 22 of Robert Prechter's landmark book, The Socionomic Theory of Finance, asks:

Do Supply and Demand Regulate Oil Prices?

He goes on to answer that question by saying:

The correct answer is ... no, they don't. In this chapter, I support my conclusion and demonstrate its value.

In a nutshell, Elliott waves regulate the trend of oil prices and the successful calls Elliott Wave International analysts have made over the years offer strong evidence for this.

Keep in mind that as you look at this chart from the book, it took Robert Prechter 43 pages to go into the details of how Elliott wave analysis called every major price turn in crude from 1993 into 2016:

Indeed, the very title of the chart says it all:

Elliott Wave Analysis Forecasted And / Or Recognized In Real Time All Of These Waves And Their Turning Points

Keep in mind that no method of analysis offers guarantees, yet -- looking at what's going on now -- the October Global Market Perspective, a monthly Elliott Wave International publication which covers 50-plus worldwide financial markets, noted:

Crude extended its string of lower lows and lower highs in September as anticipated.

The October Global Market Perspective goes on to provide a forecast for crude oil.

Looping back to that crude oil price target by the major Wall Street firm, that price may at some point be hit. The point is that it's best to consult the Elliott wave model rather than basing a crude oil prediction on supply and demand.

If you'd like to learn about Elliott wave analysis, or need a refresher, an excellent resource is Frost & Prechter's book, Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior. Here's a quote from this Wall Street classic:

After you have acquired an Elliott "touch," it will be forever with you, just as a child who learns to ride a bicycle never forgets. Thereafter, catching a turn becomes a fairly common experience and not really too difficult. Furthermore, by giving you a feeling of confidence as to where you are in the progress of the market, a knowledge of Elliott can prepare you psychologically for the fluctuating nature of price movement and free you from sharing the widely practiced analytical error of forever projecting today's trends linearly into the future. Most important, the Wave Principle often indicates in advance the relative magnitude of the next period of market progress or regress. Living in harmony with those trends can make the difference between success and failure in financial affairs.

Would you like to read the entire online version of Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior? If so, you may do so for free once you become a member of Club EWI, the world's largest Elliott wave educational community.

A Club EWI membership is also free and opens the door to complimentary access to a wealth of Elliott wave resources on investing and trading, including videos and articles from Elliott Wave International analysts.

You can have the book on your screen in moments as you follow this link: Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Crude Oil: 23 Years of Spot-on Forecasts You Can Fact-Check. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

Why Investors in U.S. Treasuries Face Major Risk

Rising rates will be "disastrous" for governments, other debtors and creditors

By Elliott Wave International

The market for U.S. Treasuries is the biggest bond market in the world, and it appears that potentially big trouble may be afoot.

Earlier this month, none other than the U.S. Treasury Secretary herself (Janet Yellen) acknowledged ...

... "a loss of adequate liquidity in the [U.S. government debt] market."

Then, in a statement last week, Bank of America strategists expressed concerns about ...

... "large scale forced selling [of U.S. Treasuries]."

No wonder other analysts and traders have voiced worries about U.S. Treasuries being a potential key factor in the next financial crisis.

It may interest you to know that Elliott Wave International has been ahead of this developing story.

In April of this year, The Elliott Wave Theorist, a monthly publication which provides analysis of financial markets and major cultural trends, showed this amazing chart and said:

Because of the 39-year symmetry in this picture and the unprecedented arrival of negative interest rates, we have been adamant that interest rates bottomed in 2020. Sure enough, they have been rising since. ... Rising interest rates will be disastrous for governments and other debtors as well as for creditors who hold long term bonds.

Fast forward to the Oct. 21, 2022 U.S. Short Term Update, a thrice weekly Elliott Wave International publication which provides near-term analysis of major U.S. financial markets, which noted:

[U.S. Treasury long bond futures] are collapsing, as rates shoot higher. The yield on ... 10-year treasury paper pushed to 4.34%, its highest level in 15 years. Bond investors are being absolutely crushed.

Of course, when bond yields rise, prices fall.

The question now is: Is the rise in yields almost over or do they have a lot further to go?

Well, an Oct. 21 Reuters article said:

Some investors believe Treasury yields are close to peaking. ...

All financial markets have countertrend moves and it's certainly possible that one is ahead for U.S. Treasuries.

Yet, what's important to know is the main trend.

You can get a handle on the main trend of U.S. Treasuries by employing the Elliott wave model.

If you're unfamiliar with Elliott wave analysis, or need a refresher, a great resource is Frost & Prechter's Wall Street classic, Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior. Here's a quote from the book:

In markets, progress ultimately takes the form of five waves of a specific structure. Three of these waves, which are labeled 1, 3 and 5, actually effect the directional movement. They are separated by two countertrend interruptions, which are labeled 2 and 4. The two interruptions are apparently a requisite for overall directional movement to occur.

[R.N.] Elliott noted three consistent aspects of the five-wave form. They are: Wave 2 never moves beyond the start of wave 1; wave 3 is never the shortest wave; wave 4 never enters the price territory of wave 1.

If you'd like to read more about the Elliott wave model, here's some good news: You can access the online version of Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior for free once you become a member of Club EWI, the world's largest Elliott wave educational community.

Club EWI is free to join and members enjoy complimentary access to a wealth of Elliott wave resources on financial markets, investing and trading, including videos and articles from Elliott Wave International analysts.

Just follow this link to get started: Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- get free and instant access.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Why Investors in U.S. Treasuries Face Major Risk. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.