Energy Prices Bounce After Worst Daily Selloff In A Month
Energy prices are bouncing after their worst daily selloff in a month Monday, keeping the door open for an extended price rally.
New travel restrictions in a handful of countries due to COVID case spikes took some of the blame for Monday’s sell-off, although from a technical perspective the complex was due for a pullback after the bull rally has pushed prices to multi-year highs. Today’s bounce keeps the trend lines intact, so it’s too soon to say that the rally is over, and those calling for oil prices to reach $80-$100 this year will see the past two sessions as nothing more than a corrective dip.
Tropical Storm Danny made landfall in South Carolina Monday, and has weakened quickly as it moves inland. Two other storm systems are being monitored, but both look like long shots to get into the Gulf of Mexico and become supply threats.
After last week’s Supreme Court ruling that favored small refinery exemptions to the RFS, the EPA is now on the clock to finalize both the RVO requirements for the year (which are already 6 months past due) and to rule on 50 small refinery waiver requests. Not surprisingly, industry groups are not wasting any time lobbying the EPA to see things their way. RIN values did trade higher Monday from where they left off Friday, making for an unusual divergence between RBOB futures which sold off heavily despite the bounce in RINs. Given the close relationship between the two contracts, that could help explain why RBOB is leading the recovery rally this morning.
It’s worth noting that money managers appear to have made a wrong way bet on crack spreads ahead of that Supreme Court ruling, increasing net length in RBOB and ULSD, while reducing length in WTI and Brent. It’s possible that yesterday’s reaction was an unwinding of that trade when it became clear that the latest ruling would not be bullish on crack spreads, but it’s impossible to say given the limited scope of position data available. It’s just as possible that the bullish stance on crack spreads is a play on the St. Croix refinery closing indefinitely after numerous operational mishaps over the past year.
While the big money funds appear mixed on the outlook for oil and refined products, carbon credits remain a hot bandwagon trade with California Carbon Allowance (CCA) positions seeing an increase in net length (bets on higher prices) by money managers for a 6th straight week, even as prices trade at record highs. Given that climate change has become a dominant headline, it’s not surprising to see an influx in hot money into the few contracts that are easily tradeable, and this phenomenon could continue creating volatile swings, similar to what we’ve seen with RINs over the past decade.
Today’s interesting read: How a Salt Lake refinery is using salt to make safer, cleaner, alkylate.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.
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View AllEnergy Prices Fluctuate: Chinese Imports Surge, Saudi Arabia Cuts Output and Buys Golf
Energy prices continue their back-and-forth trading, starting Wednesday’s session with modest gains, after a round of selling Tuesday wiped out the Saudi output cut bounce.
A surge in China’s imports of crude oil and natural gas seem to be the catalyst for the early move higher, even though weak export activity from the world’s largest fuel buyer suggests the global economy is still struggling.
New tactic? Saudi Arabia’s plan to voluntarily cut oil production by another 1 million barrels/day failed to sustain a rally in oil prices to start the week, so they bought the PGA tour.
The EIA’s monthly Short Term Energy Outlook raised its price forecast for oil, citing the Saudi cuts, and OPEC’s commitment to extend current production restrictions through 2024. The increase in prices comes despite reducing the forecast for US fuel consumption, as GDP growth projections continue to decline from previous estimates.
The report included a special article on diesel consumption, and its changing relationship with economic activity that does a good job of explaining why diesel prices are $2/gallon cheaper today than they were a year ago.
The API reported healthy builds in refined product inventories last week, with distillates up 4.5 million barrels while gasoline stocks were up 2.4 million barrels in the wake of Memorial Day. Crude inventories declined by 1.7 million barrels on the week. The DOE’s weekly report is due out at its normal time this morning.
We’re still waiting on the EPA’s final ruling on the Renewable Fuel Standard for the next few years, which is due a week from today, but another Reuters article suggests that eRINs will not be included in this round of making up the rules.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.
Week 23 - US DOE Inventory Recap
Energy Prices Retreat, Global Demand Concerns Loom
So much for that rally. Energy prices have given back all of the gains made following Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it would voluntarily withhold another 1 million barrels/day of oil production starting in July. The pullback appears to be rooted in the ongoing concerns over global demand after a soft PMI report for May while markets start to focus on what the FED will do at its FOMC meeting next week.
The lack of follow through to the upside leaves petroleum futures stuck in neutral technical territory, and since the top end of the recent trading range didn’t break, it seems likely we could see another test of the lower end of the range in the near future.
RIN prices have dropped sharply in the past few sessions, with traders apparently not waiting on the EPA’s final RFS ruling – due in a week – to liquidate positions. D6 values dropped to their lowest levels in a year Monday, while D4 values hit a 15-month low. In unrelated news, the DOE’s attempt to turn seaweed into biofuels has run into a whale problem.
Valero reported a process leak at its Three Rivers TX refinery that lasted a fully 24 hours. That’s the latest in a string of upsets for south Texas refineries over the past month that have kept supplies from San Antonio, Austin and DFW tighter than normal. Citgo Corpus Christi also reported an upset over the weekend at a sulfur recovery unit. Several Corpus facilities have been reporting issues since widespread power outages knocked all of the local plants offline last month.
Meanwhile, the Marathon Galveston Bay (FKA Texas City) refinery had another issue over the weekend as an oil movement line was found to be leaking underground but does not appear to have impacted refining operations at the facility. Gulf Coast traders don’t seem concerned by any of the latest refinery issues, with basis values holding steady to start the week.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.