Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 5/17/24

Disruptions caused by attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea have once again created volatility in retail supply chains, leading to delays and increased costs. That's according to the Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Jonathan Gold, NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy, noted that retailers are working with their carrier partners on mitigation strategies to limit the impact of the disruptions caused by the attacks, "but we are seeing longer transit times and increased costs as a result.” To help retailers navigate supply chain challenges, NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show will feature a special one-day program — Supply Chain 360 Summit — on Sunday, Jan. 14, 10:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. (ET), at the Javits Convention Center, New York City.

Oil is heading for the longest run of weekly gains since October 2016 as global supplies tighten and on signs the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will extend output curbs past the end of March. Saudi Arabia on Thursday advised its nationals to leave Lebanon, fueling fears of a confrontation with Iran in a country long known for being a battleground for proxy wars in the Middle East. “Geopolitical risks have taken center stage in the oil market again,” said Jens Naervig Pedersen, senior analyst at Danske Bank A/S in Copenhagen. “The rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran have raised concerns in the oil market of an imminent supply disruption.” Saudi Arabia said it plans to cut crude exports to all the regions it ships to next month. Shipments will fall by 120,000 barrels a day in December from November, a spokesman for the Energy Ministry said, without specifying what those levels would be. Bloomberg calculations from vessel-tracking data estimated flows in October at 6.989 million a day. Click Read More below for additional information.

Crude prices strengthened on Monday, reversing course as geopolitical tensions continued to support the market and a trade war between the U.S. and China was declared "on hold." Geopolitical concerns that U.S. sanctions on Iran could curb the country's crude exports have led crude prices to trade higher in recent weeks, and the market is now weighing the possibility of additional sanctions on Venezuela following the country's presidential election. Click Read More below for additional information.