Selloff Stretches To A Sixth Straight Day
Several energy contracts have dropped to 3 month lows this morning as the selloff stretches to a 6th straight day. The main driver of the big move today is an apparent taper tantrum as the FED telegraphs an end to its most recent round of money printing. A secondary catalyst seems to be the fallout from two tropical storm systems reaching the major population centers along the East Coast that may keep many drivers off the road, at a time when it’s already looking like domestic consumption is heading lower.
Energy futures were already looking like they may be due for a big move lower prior to the FED minutes release, and the selloff in equities seems to be adding to the negative sentiment even though the correlation between daily price movements in the two asset classes had broken down in recent weeks. Whenever FED stimulus is a market driver, we experience the strange “Good news is bad news” phenomenon. Yesterday was no different when the FOMC minutes suggested that the Delta variant won’t derail economic recovery in the US (Good news!) which means the FED has less reason to keep injecting money into the system (Bad news for investors wall street bankers!)
As the remnants of TS Fred dump heavy rain across large parts of the country, Henri has gone from an afterthought to a real threat as forecasts continue to shift the storm west. 2 days ago there was no threat to land, and now the New York harbor is showing up in some models, while the terminals from New Haven, Providence and Boston are now all in the forecast cone, suggesting the waterborne deliveries that region relies on are likely to face some disruption over the next few days. The good news is the handful of remaining refineries operating in the region are not in the forecast cone, and Colonial pipeline has spare capacity, which should help keep any supply disruptions contained.
Now that the July lows have been taken out for WTI and ULSD (and will be for RBOB once we roll to winter-specs in 2 weeks) the next stopping points on the charts look like the March lows. That means downside targets $57 for WTI, $1.73 for ULSD and $1.87 for RBOB.
Not much to write about from yesterday’s DOE report, and it didn’t seem to have much influence on the crescendo of selling. Diesel demand continues to look strong, holding above its 5 year range, while gasoline demand looks like it may have made its seasonal turn, and dropped back below its 5 year seasonal range.
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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.