Petroleum Futures Shrug Off Another Attempted Selloff
Petroleum futures shrugged off another attempted selloff Monday, continuing the July sideways trading pattern as uncertainty seems to be taking some of the risk appetite out of this asset class.
Volatility has been declining steadily for both energy and equity markets over the past few months, and the correlation between the two remains elevated. This suggests that any one of the major geopolitical issues happening at the moment (COVID-19 case counts and reopening plans, a new trillion dollar stimulus bill struggling to make it through Congress, and some less than neighborly theatrics from the world’s two super powers) have the potential to shock prices out of this range.
Unfortunately for refiners, this price (and demand) stagnation in July aren’t improving their margin situation, and the forward look remains bleak for many. Total announced yesterday it was selling its UK plant, and there are unconfirmed reports that another U.S. plant – this one along the Gulf Coast - is planning to idle its facility in the next few weeks, adding to a growing list of shutdowns.
Not everyone is looking to exit the business however, as Meridian Energy Group cleared a major regulatory hurdle to build a new refinery in North Dakota to attempt to take advantage of the U.S. glut of light sweet crude from shale plays. Although several reports suggest this plant would be the first built in the U.S. since the 1970's, they would be forgiven for forgetting the small refinery built in North Dakota in 2013 that was sold at a loss less than three years later.
Meanwhile, there have been a rash of operational issues at Gulf Coast refineries reported in the past few days, with some indication that power and other weather-related issues from Hurricane Hanna’s remnants may have been a contributing factor even though that storm made landfall hundreds of miles away. So far USGC basis markets have not reacted much, suggesting that the lack of demand continues to act as a buffer to any supply shock.
The Dallas Fed released its Texas Manufacturing survey for July, showing that the state continues to recover rapidly from the COVID shutdown. That said, comments that the recent resurgence point to the recovery taking longer than previously estimated, and 3/4 of respondents indicating that revenues are below normal July levels, making it clear there’s still a long way to go.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.
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Energy 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.