Let The Madness Begin
Let the Madness begin.
This is what it looks like when a market has one of the strongest rallies in its history, outkicks its coverage, and then finally breaks its upward trend. Most petroleum contracts had their biggest single day sell-off in 11 months (you know, since the day oil prices went to minus $40/barrel) after chart support finally gave way and created a snowball effect of selling.
Gasoline prices are down 26 cents from the highs set Sunday night, and distillates are down more than 20 cents, with both appearing to have more room to fall over the next week based purely on the charts. The next stopping point on the weekly chart for RBOB looks to be in the $1.80 range, while ULSD looks like it could make a run at $1.60 before reaching its next cluster of support, which held prices for several weeks back in January.
There are also some fundamental reasons for the drop, as more signs of healing emerge from refining country and supply allocations begin to ease across much of the south. The pipeline spill in New Jersey this week is still creating headaches for physical supply in the immediate area, but that has little bearing on futures prices, and the disruption appears to be contained to a few local terminals.
Chicken or the egg? RIN values dropped 12 cents for both D4 and D6 contracts, getting close to the moves in both gasoline and diesel on the day. Some will suggest the sell-off in RINs happened before the move in refined products, suggesting some of the unwind may have been reversing the Stronger RIN/Stronger Crack spread needed trade that’s been prevalent over the past month.
Today’s interesting read: A recap of the lawsuit scheduled to go before the supreme court this summer that may well determine the long-term direction of RIN prices.
Today’s other (slightly less) interesting read: An EIA note detailing why jet fuel consumption in the US will take a decade to recover, even though air travel should pick up soon.
If you’re wanting to get something done today, make sure you get it done by noon, since once the Tournament starts, these markets tend to go quiet in a hurry.
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.