Spot Cargo Markets — Iraq Underpins Brent

摘要

The battles raging across Iraq for a second week drove Brent crude futures to new highs as players assess whether the situation could provoke a seismic jolt in the petroleum complex. Conflicting reports over whether Iraqi troops or Sunni rebels held the country’s largest Baiji refinery pointed to wider chaos as the government struggles to halt rapid advances being made by Sunni groups. In the south, Shiites are being rallied to take up arms and help protect oil fields. In the north, the Kurdistan Regional Government is guarding federal oil fields, including Kirkuk.