Quarterly Oil Market Update – Q2 2018: (Trade tensions pose downside risk for oil)

Brent oil prices averaged $75 per barrel (pb) in Q2 2018, up a sizable 12 percent quarter-on-quarter. Concerns over OPEC output, in light of declines from certain countries, and anticipation over Iranian sanctions lifted Brent oil prices to $81 pb at one point in the second quarter.