A view of storage tanks and pipelines at the Shell Carson Distribution Complex, a distribution hub for petroleum products, in Carson, California, on March 11, 2022.U.S. crude oil futures tumbled to around $73 per barrel on Monday as equity markets sold off on fears the economy might be teetering on the brink of a recession.
"Already before we had the jobs report, already before the manufacturing data, we were concerned about weaker imports into China, weaker refinery utilization rates in China," Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday. "If the trend continues, I just can't imagine OPEC would go forward with increasing output into this market. The question is, would they go the opposite way given the conditions we're seeing," Croft said, suggesting the oil producers could cut production again.