油价在跌至8月以来最低水平后企稳，因外交努力结束中东战争的乐观情绪超过了对该地区袭击事件的担忧。
Oil steadied after slumping to its lowest since August, as optimism around diplomatic efforts to end the war in the Middle East outweighed concerns over attacks in the region.
西德克萨斯中质原油（WTI）交易价格低于每桶87美元，此前周一暴跌逾4%；布伦特原油结算价则高于每桶92美元。随着民主党在美国中期选举中大获全胜，市场对结束美国对伊朗战争的谈判取得突破的期望升温，这加大了华盛顿寻求退出机制的压力。
West Texas Intermediate traded below $87 a barrel, after sliding more than 4% on Monday, while Brent settled above $92. Hopes for a breakthrough in negotiations to end the US war in Iran have grown after the Democratic sweep of US midterm elections, compounding pressure on Washington to seek an off-ramp.
美国总统特朗普周一在白宫会见卡塔尔首相穆罕默德·本·阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·阿勒萨尼后表示，他看到了“走向结束冲突的势头”。与此同时，国会民主党人正在权衡是否利用12月11日的政府关门截止日期，试图施压特朗普结束战争。
US President Donald Trump said that he saw “momentum toward an end” to the conflict after meeting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday. Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats are weighing whether to use a Dec. 11 government shutdown deadline to try to pressure Trump to end the war.
布伦特原油已从10月底的六个月高点大幅下跌。上周，在未调整到期因素的情况下，这一全球基准原油录得自2020年4月以来最大单周跌幅。然而，鸽派言论是否会转化为实质性进展尚不清楚。
Brent has tumbled from a six-month high at the end of October. Last week, the global benchmark notched its biggest weekly decline since April 2020 when not adjusted for expiry. However, it’s not yet clear whether dovish rhetoric will translate into tangible progress.
“近期美国和以色列政治版图发生的剧变，让人们对长期围困伊朗与寻求谈判解决之间的政治意愿产生质疑，”瑞穗证券美国有限公司能源期货部门总监罗伯特·耶格表示。“此时任何试图给予致命一击的做法，都与当下的政治风向背道而驰。”沙特官方通讯社报道，沙特东西向输油管线周一在麦地那地区遭袭，引发有限火灾，火势已被扑灭。与此同时，美国国务卿鲁比奥淡化了谈判取得突破的可能性。
“The seismic shift in the political landscape in both the US and Israel in recent days calls into question the political will to commit to a long-term siege in Iran versus a negotiated settlement,” said Robert Yawger, director of the energy futures division at Mizuho Securities USA LLC. “Any attempt at a knockout punch at this point runs counter to the political winds of the day.”Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline was targeted Monday in the Medina region, causing a limited fire that was extinguished, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, played down the chances of a breakthrough in talks.
数月来断断续续的谈判迄今未能达成解决方案。伊朗此前坚持要求美国必须结束封锁并解除制裁。华盛顿正施压伊朗停止在霍尔木兹海峡袭击船只，并在核计划问题上作出让步。
Months of on-off negotiations have so far failed to bring about a resolution. Iran has previously insisted that the US must end its blockade and lift sanctions. Washington is pressing Iran to stop attacking ships in Hormuz and offer concessions over its nuclear program.
在其他方面，乌克兰持续袭击俄罗斯炼油厂，而莫斯科则反复打击其邻国的能源和民用基础设施。美国斡旋的双方谈判定于周二在阿布扎比开始，出席谈判的外交官层级高于以往几轮，这被视为在数月外交僵局后，双方对实质性谈判表现出更大开放态度的迹象。
Elsewhere, Ukraine continued to strike Russian refineries and Moscow repeatedly targeted energy and civilian infrastructure in its neighbor. US-mediated talks between the sides are due to start Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, and the presence of higher-level diplomats than in previous rounds has been seen as a sign of greater openness to substantive negotiations after months of diplomatic stalemate.
本周交易员还将关注三大主要预测机构的月度市场报告——美国能源信息署将于周二发布，欧佩克将于周三发布，国际能源署将于周五发布。
Traders this week will also look to monthly market reports from all three major forecasting agencies — the US Energy Information Administration on Tuesday, OPEC on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency on Friday.