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Goldman Advises Clients To Sell Brent Down To $105 (As Goldman "Client Facing" Team Is Better Buyer?)

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Yesterday Goldman launched the first salvo in the crude correction trade, telling clients to take premature profits on its CCCP (crude among others) basket as we reported previously. Today, Goldman sell-side energy analyst, once again completely unconflicted and ignorant of what is happening across the Chinese wall where all those former prop traders and now better known as "client facing associates" buy on behalf of Goldman's multi-billion balance sheet, has released his latest hit piece on oil. "We expect the oil market will experience a substantial pullback toward our $105/bbl near-term Brent crude oil price target." And for those wondering, when is the last time Goldman ever dropped their oil price forecast? Well, usually a month or so before the firm hikes it to $150 (see 2008).

From David Greely

While prices are back at levels of spring 2008, supply-demand fundamentals are significantly less tight

The unfolding events in North Africa and the Middle East have pushed up Brent crude oil from $100/bbl in mid-February to over $125/bbl last Friday. These high prices levels invite comparison to the spring of 2008, when crude oil prices first breached these levels in May before peaking at over $145/bbl by early July. We believe that there are fundamental differences between now and the spring of 2008: Both inventories and spare capacity are much higher now and net speculative positions are four times as high as in June 2008.

We expect the oil market will experience a substantial pullback toward our $105/bbl near-term Brent crude oil price target

Consequently, we continue to believe that - even with the loss of Libyan production - the oil market has adequate inventory and OPEC spare production capacity to avoid the degree of physical tightness experienced in 2008 well into next year. Although the contagion risk in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remains elevated, and the oil market’s ability to weather the loss of supplies from another producer in the region is limited, we believe that, with the market continuing to embed at least a $10/bbl risk premium in prices, that the price risk is becoming more symmetric at these price levels as we believe that the market will experience a substantial correction toward our $105/bbl near-term target for Brent crude oil in coming months.

Consequently, we no longer believe that the risk-reward tradeoff merits a long oil position in the near-term, and we are closing our long April European ICE gasoil trading recommendation (first recommended on the January contract on November 10, 2010 at $953.25/mt, subsequently rolled to the March and April contracts for a total profit of $305.25/mt).

 

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Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:38 | 1161282 dogismyth
dogismyth's picture

fucking amazing that a single entity can move oil....not the dollar, not supply/demand, not war in the ME....just GS making its prediction.  Long live the king.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:54 | 1161323 CPL
CPL's picture

Watch how the paper price doesn't match the market delivery price, this was attempted in 2007 as well, it didn't go well then.  GS is presuming that governments and oil companies want cheap oil.

 

Let them chase wind mills.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:06 | 1161330 Turd Ferguson
Turd Ferguson's picture

dog: +++++

Yes, why anyone would buy or sell crude oil based upon the bullshit spin and manipulation that spews from GS is beyond my level of understanding.

And don't forget...the May crude options expire on Thursday. Fucking GS is probably short a bunch of calls and they're trying to cover their ass.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:05 | 1161359 Ruffcut
Ruffcut's picture

Oil is the heartbeat of the global economy. It has real value.

I made a little change on the bullshit etf USO. Got out last week, lucky me, may reload some calls next week. Dangerous trading indeed. Let's see beenie ben and goldshit can print some oil up. Remember this is opex week and the maker breakers are doing god's work.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:47 | 1161542 Careless Whisper
Careless Whisper's picture

Are you a GoldmanSachs client? Did you get a margin call? Bwahahahahahahaha

Well, another day, another fraud lawsuit filed against the Squid for FRAUD. This one over frauduluent margin calls.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-12/marvell-founders-accuse-goldman...

 

 

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:39 | 1161285 umop episdn
umop episdn's picture

Don't you know that the 'Vampire Squid' prices everything in Zimbabwe dollars? Or maybe silver 'Liberty' dollars, I forget.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:39 | 1161288 LawsofPhysics
LawsofPhysics's picture

Ha!   Goldman sucks telling their "customers" to give them a dip to buy or else.  Love it.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:38 | 1161290 OuaisBla
OuaisBla's picture

That correction was long overdue IMO.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:45 | 1161303 pendragon
pendragon's picture

now if they can just say that the euro is going to parity....

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:46 | 1161306 Cdad
Cdad's picture

Goldman Sachs is a firm that Ben Bernanke needed to let fail.  There is nothing to see here...just side step their calls and move on with your trading life.  L. Blankfein has no credibility.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:34 | 1161481 MichaelNY
MichaelNY's picture

That may be true, but the Bernank works for their owners.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:45 | 1161307 Misean
Misean's picture

Shit! That means gas over $6 in CA before May's out!

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:01 | 1161352 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

If you're lucky.

The way the dollar is nosediving (euro is at 18 month high) oil will easely go up to 135$

Goldman is betting that the strategical reserves will supress the prices but I don't think they realise at what cost that will be.

 

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:47 | 1161309 razorthin
razorthin's picture

coxxukkers trying to negate the fiat inflation effect.  perception is everything until reality finally overtakes it.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:26 | 1161427 Josh Randall
Josh Randall's picture

+1, great point -- this coupled with their disbanding of their commodties fund yesterday is just priceless. These market move attempts are good for a day or so, but no way they can stave off the inevitable

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:48 | 1161311 RobotTrader
RobotTrader's picture

Oil stocks are getting brutalized.

But as usual, retail stocks are celebrating the crash in oil prices today.

Nordstrom, JC Penney, Williams-Sonoma, etc. all went straight up after the open.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:57 | 1161329 Cdad
Cdad's picture

Nordstrom, JC Penney, Williams-Sonoma, etc. all went straight up after the open.

And they'll go straight down at the close.  What is your point with this comment?

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:48 | 1161318 lsbumblebee
lsbumblebee's picture

Yeah make sure you sell before the USD hits 74. Which should be any second now.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:53 | 1161321 spekulatn
spekulatn's picture

 


Goldman Sachs Accused by Marvell Founders of Margin Call Fraud

http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a14rzzx1M83E

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:53 | 1161322 RobotTrader
RobotTrader's picture

When I saw NFLX down $3 in the pre-market, I thought for sure we were going to have a big down day.

But investors are cheering and rejoicing with the oil crash, and NFLX went completely vertical immediately after the open.

 

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:56 | 1161326 gordengeko
gordengeko's picture

Wondering if GS and their employers ever seen the movie 300(million)?

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:56 | 1161332 jtmo3
jtmo3's picture

You gottan know that when the MSM starts talking $4 and $5 gas, it's going the opposite direction real soon.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:58 | 1161337 sethstorm
sethstorm's picture

Not deep enough.

But then they've done too much damage on the upward side, that this is mostly a PR move.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 09:57 | 1161340 Turd Ferguson
Turd Ferguson's picture

Seriously, does GS really think that their little chartreaders can overwhelm the potential supply disruptions from the coming MENA wars?

This is nothing but Fed-demanded SPIN and manipulation. 

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:06 | 1161364 CrashisOptimistic
CrashisOptimistic's picture

Another poor oil analysis from Goldman:

>>

We believe that there are fundamental differences between now and the spring of 2008: Both inventories and spare capacity are much higher now

>>

This is in contrast to Spring 2008.  Where is the increased spare capacity vs Spring 2008?  KSA didn't drill more wells or install more pipeslines.  Their alleged spare capacity is the same now as then.  Iraq added about 300K bpd since then, but its near term spare production capacity is zero.  It will take years to drill those holes and install their pipelines.

Inventories?  The only relevant inventory is what's in the pipelines.  Not what's in obsolete tanks that can't flow to the Gulf of Mexico.  Was Brent higher than WTI in 2008?  No.

Another relevant question: Was China consuming more oil in 2008 than now?  No.  Much less.  India?  No.  Much less.  KSA?  No, they consumed less then.  Almost everywhere consumed less then, with the exception of the US, who did not have 8.8% of the workforce not commuting then.

Bogus analysis.


Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:10 | 1161371 r101958
r101958's picture

Looks like real desparation time....kindof like when they advised to buy Bear Stearns.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:16 | 1161394 Cdad
Cdad's picture

Look at the market now!  LOOK AT IT!  There is NO market.  There is a room full of computers next to where Duncan Niederauer takes his afternoon constitutional.  There are buildings full of entirely immoral bankers and pathological analysts.  There are overpaid, perma bull CEOs dumping the shit out of stock they talk glowingly about every day to you.

There is no market anymore, fool.  There are bagholders...and they are nervous...their lies reaching creschendo...with some seriously hardcore Marxists waiting in the wings.

Thank you Wall Street.  On with the flash crashes, I guess.  I hear that M. Schapiro of the SEC is almost...almost done relentlessly meeting with members of the criminal syndicate about which rules she should forget, and which rules are ok to enforce.  Almost.

 

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:20 | 1161410 williambanzai7
williambanzai7's picture

Who came up with the ridiculous idea that commodities markets are targeted by Wall Street speculators?

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:27 | 1161441 gordengeko
gordengeko's picture

What's a speculator?

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:59 | 1161574 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

Somebody who goes to McDonalds and hopes the cashier spills hot coffee over him or gets a chicken head in the Mc Chicken.

 

 

 

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 12:42 | 1161616 sethstorm
sethstorm's picture

This a defense of the rising oil prices?

(noting the junks, I see someone doesnt like me defending a drop in oil)

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:31 | 1161461 sethstorm
sethstorm's picture

Not sure who, but the way oil affects gas prices is part of it.

The only clear target that exists, are those speculators. 

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:24 | 1161435 Village Smithy
Village Smithy's picture

Is it possible that margin calls in gold,oil, and silver just caused a little selling in the equities to fund those calls? I would imagine that if that's the case then GS knew that would happen and are BTFD right now. No doubt today will end green.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 10:29 | 1161448 Cdad
Cdad's picture

Yeah...sure thing buddy.  Only one problem...there is no market...and there will be no market until Ben Bernanke stops pumping counterfeit dollars into it and about 100,000 bankers are cleansed from the ranks...oh, and until the 4th estate returns to do the tough job "speaking truth to power."  

So...sure...buy the dip...after about ten years of desperation, panic, prosecutions, capital destruction, naked short selling bear raids, bank breakups...and such.

There is no market, buddy.

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 11:51 | 1161708 sbenard
sbenard's picture

Amazing that "Lord Blankfein" has this kind of power!

I follow WTI, not Brent. CME's website suggests it's around $120.50 right now. If those figures are representative, then we have a lot further to fall. I would have expected stocks to rally.

Shows how utterly manipulated this market really is. Despicable!

Tue, 04/12/2011 - 12:31 | 1161923 Sopra Tutt1
Sopra Tutt1's picture

So Oil is the new Silver and GS is the new JPM?

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