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Oil marketing companies are selling petrol and diesel at a loss of Rs 14 per litre and Rs 18 per litre, respectively, as elevated crude prices outpace capped retail fuel rates, squeezing marketing margins. Besides losses on petrol and diesel, the elevated energy prices post West Asia crisis are likely to leave companies with an under recovery of Rs 80,000 crore on cooking gas LPG in the current fiscal, while fertiliser subsidy is projected to rise to Rs 2.05 to 2.25 lakh crore. Rating agency Icra said supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz - handling around 20 per cent of global oil and LNG trade - have tightened availability of fuels, fertilisers and chemicals, pushing up prices and increasing cost pressures across downstream industries. Crude prices before the West Asia crisis broke out two months back were around USD 70-72 a barrel. "The stable pump prices for auto fuels amid elevated crude oil prices are impacting the profitability of the oil marketing companies (OMCs)," sa
Crude oil prices fell a little over 2 per cent to Rs 8,396 per barrel in futures trade on Friday amid signs of a potential US-Iran agreement and easing geopolitical tensions dampening fears of prolonged supply disruptions. Crude prices for May delivery decreased by Rs 180, or 2.1 per cent, to Rs 8,396 per barrel on the Multi Commodity Exchange. "Crude futures declined after US President Donald Trump expressed optimism over a potential agreement with Iran, easing concerns over prolonged supply disruptions," Kaveri More, Commodity - Technical Research at Choice Broking, said. Trump indicated that Tehran may accept terms, including abandoning nuclear ambitions, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and offering "free oil," though there has been no official confirmation from Iran. In the international market, oil futures remained below USD 100 per barrel as investors turned hopeful about a near-term resolution to the conflict in West Asia. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for the May contract
The rupee appreciated by 6 paise to 93.27 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, driven by retreating crude oil prices and a weakening American currency, amid hopes of a truce in West Asia. According to forex analysts, crude oil prices hovering below the USD 95-a-barrel level sent positive cues to investors in domestic equities, even though the outflow of foreign capital and demands for dollars from importers resisted a sharp recovery in the rupee. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 93.29 and gained further, trading at 93.27 against the greenback in early deals, up 6 paise from its previous closing level. On Wednesday, the rupee gained 2 paise to settle at 93.33 against the US dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was lower by 0.12 per cent at 97.72. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading marginally up by 0.02 per cent at USD 94.95 per barrel in futures trade.