Oil falls to below $100 a barrel as US inflation fuels concerns

Oil continued its retreat into a second session as galloping US inflation fueled concerns it would force moves that risk pushing the economy into a recession.

West Texas Intermediate fell 3.2% to settle below $100 a barrel for the first time since late April. The dollar advanced amid worries over tighter monetary policy, making commodities priced in the currency less attractive. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed energy security on Tuesday as the European Union seeks to persuade Budapest to drop its opposition to proposed sanctions on Russian oil imports.

“Crude oil may have finally topped out,” said Fawad Razaqzada, a market analyst with City Index and FOREX.com “I know that is a brave call to make and shorting oil is playing with fire given geopolitical risks.” However, the recent pullback should have spurred another round of buying but so far hasn’t, he added, which could signal a new, lower price range at which crude meets resistance based on chart technicals.