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Oil prices fell in Asian trade today as investors paused ahead of a US central bank meeting, hoping for clear signals on stimulus measures.
New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in September, was down 27 cents at $ 104.28 a barrel in mid-morning trade, and Brent North Sea crude for September eased 13 cents to $107.32.
Analysts said that investors were taking a breather from a recent rally while waiting for the US central bank’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting today.
Focus will be on a clear timeline for the Fed to reel in its $85-billion-a-month stimulus programme, with some analysts saying it could come as early as September.
“At the July 30-31 FOMC meeting, we expect an ambiguous signal from the Fed about the exact timing of tapering, causing markets to rethink whether September really is a done deal,” analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a note.
“The majority of voters (in the committee) are likely still looking to move before year-end,” they said.
“However, given the weak GDP and inflation data, there is probably not a strong consensus about exactly when to pull the trigger.”
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