Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 3/16/18

Oil prices edged lower on Friday and were on track for weekly losses, weighed down by rising Opec exports and strong output from the US. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, were trading at $51.61 a barrel at 9.58am GMT, 40c below the last close and heading for a fall of more than 1.5% on the week. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were 40c lower at $48.63 a barrel and were set to drop by just more than 2% for the week.

Oil gained last week to rise above its 200-day moving average for the first time since May as concerns eased that efforts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to curb output will be offset by rising production elsewhere. Police in Venezuela clashed with demonstrators after a vote Sunday to elect members of a new legislative body that President Nicolas Maduro insisted is needed to restore order after months of protests. “Depending on how the Trump administration decides to proceed going forward, of course that could have implications,” including potentially blocking imports of Venezuelan crude, said Harry Tchilinguirian, a commodities analyst at BNP Paribas SA in London. “It’s very unclear at this stage what course the U.S. administration will follow.” Click Read More below for additional details.

The trucking industry generated $791.7 billion in revenue in 2019, moving 11.84 billion tons of freight, according to the latest edition of American Trucking Associations’ annual data compendium – ATA American Trucking Trends 2020. “Despite a challenging year, the data contained in American Trucking Trends shows the industry was in good shape entering the global pandemic,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Trends continues to be an indispensable, one-stop resource for decision makers to have the latest information about the state of the trucking industry.”