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Trader who gained on oil-price crash warns ‘extreme weakness’ is here to stay

When the lockdowns end, much will depend on how quickly economies can revive

There’s no easy way out of the global oil glut that’s caused a historic, and occasionally bizarre, collapse in crude oil prices this spring, according to a long-time commodity-focused hedge-fund manager who has scored big gains during the market’s slide.

The next four to six weeks are all but certain to see continued increases in crude oil inventories as a result of the demand destruction wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic and a reluctance until recently by major producers to curb output, said Doug King, co-founder and chief investment officer of the London-based Merchant Commodity Fund, in a Wednesday interview. That could translate into “extreme weakness” over that stretch, he said.

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