Lack Of Enthusiasm From Gasoline And Crude Oil Prices
If at first you don’t succeed…Diesel prices are trying to lead the energy complex higher this morning, after rally attempts stalled out Monday and Tuesday. This time could be different, however, as ULSD futures have broken the top side of their month old sideways trading range in the early going, which could spark some buying from trading programs and bandwagon jumpers. If diesel futures can hold above the $1.84 mark today, there’s a good chance we will see them push into the mid $1.90s in the next week, but if they fail, it seems like we’ll be stuck back in the sideways range for a while longer.
A lack of enthusiasm from gasoline and crude oil prices seems to be a limiting factor in the diesel rally so far. RBOB futures have managed to move higher in the past five sessions, and yet the combined gains during that stretch are less than three cents, suggesting a lack of conviction from buyers after prices doubled from November to March.
The IEA’s monthly oil market report followed the lead of the EIA and OPEC monthly reports, increasing global fuel demand estimates as vaccine & stimulus package rollouts are getting people moving again. The IEA’s report did highlight concerns that rising case counts in Europe, Brazil and India could slow the demand recovery, and noted that excess supply capacity from OPEC and the U.S. should help keep prices from getting too high. The IEA also highlighted that Iran’s oil production has reached a two year high as the country is finding ways to get around U.S. sanctions, which could bring more downward pressure to prices if that trend continues.
The EIA this morning highlighted several new oil projects in the Gulf of Mexico that could bring 200mb/day of production online by the end of next year, which is a completely different outlook than a year ago when many projects were shutting down. The report also highlights the threat hurricanes create to GOM production, as early forecasts call for another above-average season for storm activity, after we just lived through the most active season on record.
Chicago-area refineries are making news this week. The DOJ announced a settlement deal with ExxonMobil and the state of Illinois that requires Exxon to pay $1.5 million in fines, and spend $10 million in upgrades to its Joliet facility. The headline writers are touting this as the new administration’s tough stance on the energy industry, but in reality this settlement stems from an agreement made 12 years ago. Meanwhile, BP is reportedly selling off a major stake in its U.S. pipeline assets, as it continues to shed assets to pay down debt, cover severance payments from their annual reorganizations and continue paying their $1.2 annual settlement the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Meanwhile, two midcontinent refining companies still aren’t getting along taking with the war of words and shareholder votes between Carl Icahn backed CVR and Delek being taken to the court of public opinion, proving that there’s apparently more money to be made through financial engineering of refining-related companies than there is in engineering those refineries to make more product.
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Energy Markets Are Pointing Modestly Higher To Start Friday’s Session
Energy markets are pointing modestly higher to start Friday’s session, in a meager attempt at a recovery rally at the end of what would be the worst week in over two months if prices settle near current values. The liquidation of speculative bets placed on higher energy prices ahead of the direct conflict between Israel and Iran continues to appear to be the driver of the weakness, and we’ll have to wait and see if this modest bounce is a sign that the liquidation is over, or just a pause before it picks up again. Most contracts remain in a precarious technical position with the potential for a slide towards $70 for WTI and $2.20 for both refined products if the buyers don’t get serious soon.
Stocks are pointing sharply higher after a slowdown in job growth reported in the April Non-Farm payroll report. The BLS reported an increase of 175,000 jobs for the month, down sharply from the 315,000 jobs added in March, and the February & March estimates were revised down a combined 22,000. Both the “official” (U-3) and “real” (U-6) unemployment rates ticked up by .1% to 3.9% and 7.4% respectively. The immediate positive reaction to negative news suggest that the bad news is good news low-interest-rate junkies believe this may help the FED’s dilemma of the US economy being too strong to cut rates. The big jump in equities has not seemed to spill over into energy contracts yet, as crude and refined product contracts changed very little following the report.
San Francisco diesel basis spiked 15 cents Thursday to reach the highest level of any market in the country so far this year at 35 cents over prompt futures. While there aren’t yet any refinery upsets reported to blame the spike on, PBF is undergoing planned maintenance at its Martinez facility, and of course P66 just finished converting its Rodeo plant to RD after Marathon converted its Martinez facility in the past couple of years, meaning there are at most only 2 out of the previous 5 refineries in the region operating near capacity these days. The question now is how quickly barrels can shift north from Southern California which continues to show signs of a supply glut with weak basis values and spot to rack spreads.
PBF continued the trend of Q1 refinery earnings that were sharply lower, but still healthy by longer-term historical standards. The company noted that its Saint Bernard (the parish, not the dog) Renewables facility co-processing at its Chalmette refinery had received provisional approval from CARB to lower its CI scores and help improve the amount of LCFS subsidies it can receive. That facility is operating at 18mb/day which is roughly 86% of its capacity.
Cenovus highlighted the restart of its Toledo and Superior refineries in improved refinery run rates in Q1 2024 vs Q1 2023 and noted that it had ramped up production at units that were slowed down for economic reasons in December and January (you may remember this as the time when midcontinent basis values were trading 50 cents/gallon below futures). The company did note that the January deep freeze slowed operations at Superior, but did not mention any change in operating rates despite numerous upsets at its 50% owned Borger refinery.
Dress rehearsal for a busy hurricane season? So far there are no reports of refinery issues caused by the flooding in the Houston area this week. At this point, most of the flooding appears to be far to the north of the refining hubs on the Gulf Coast but with more storms in the forecast and 88 counties already declaring disaster status, this will be something to watch for the next few days.
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Crude Oil Inventories Climbed Above Year-Ago Levels For The First Time In 2024
Sell by May then go away.
The old trading adage looked good for energy markets in 2024 as the new month started off with the biggest daily sell-off of the year so far. WTI and ULSD contracts are now in “rally or else” mode on the charts with sharply lower prices a strong possibility now that technical support layers have broken down. RBOB doesn’t look quite as bearish on the charts, but seasonal factors will now act as a headwind as we’re well into the spring peaking window for gasoline prices, and we’ve already seen a 27 cent drop from the highs. If RBOB can hold above $2.50 there’s a chance to avoid a larger selloff, but if not, a run towards $2.20 for both gasoline and diesel looks likely in the months ahead.
The selling picked up steam following the DOE’s weekly report Wednesday, even though the inventory changes were fairly small. Crude oil inventories continue their steady build and climbed above year-ago levels for the first time in 2024. Demand for refined products remains sluggish, even after accounting for the RD consumption that’s still not in the weekly reports, and most PADDs are following a typical seasonal inventory trend. The Gulf Coast saw a healthy build in diesel inventories last week as the export market slowed for a 3rd straight week. Refinery runs dipped modestly last week following a handful of upsets across the country, but overall rates remain near normal levels for this time of year.
The Transmountain pipeline expansion began operations yesterday, completing a 12-year saga that has the potential to materially change refining economics for plants in the US that relied heavily on discounted Canadian crude to turn profits over the past decade.
The P66 Borger refinery reported another operational upset Monday that lasted a full 24 hours impacting a sulfur recovery unit. Last week the company highlighted how the plant’s fire department helped the surrounding area when the largest wildfire in state history came within feet of the facility.
The EPA approved a new model to determine life cycle carbon intensity scores this week, which cracks open the door for things like ethanol to SAF, which were previously deemed to not reduce emissions enough to qualify for government subsidies. The new model would require improved farming techniques like no-till, cover crop planting and using higher efficiency nitrogen fertilizer to limit the damage done by farms that no longer rotate crops due to the ethanol mandates. Whether or not the theoretical ability to produce SAF comes to fruition in the coming years thanks to the increased tax credit potential will be a key pivot point for some markets that find themselves with too much RD today, but could see those supplies transition to aviation demand.
The FED continues to throw cold water on anyone hoping for a near term cut in interest rates. The FOMC held rates steady as expected Wednesday, but also highlighted the struggles with stubbornly high inflation. The CME’s Fedwatch tool gave 58% odds of at least one rate cut by September before the announcement, and those odds have slipped modestly to 54% this morning.