Energy Futures Cooling Their Heels
Energy futures are cooling their heels to start Wednesday’s session, after a strong move Tuesday put oil and diesel prices back within striking distance of 4-year highs. The Iranian stories that helped push prices up over the past few months seem to have taken a backseat this week as news stories closer to home have taken back most of the headlines.
Hurricane Michael grew to Category 4 status, and could be the strongest storm ever to hit the Florida Panhandle when it makes landfall later today. As the EIA’s interactive energy disruption map below shows, the storm passed far enough to the east of the oil production and refining assets in and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico that energy supplies (or prices) should not be materially affected. Most of the marine terminals in the area began closing yesterday afternoon as a precaution, with the Panama city terminal under the most direct threat, while the marine terminals in Niceville and Freeport are in the relatively favorable position of being just west of the storm’s path which should (hopefully) minimize the storm surge effects.
The damage assessment continues at Irving’s St. John refinery after Monday’s explosion and fire. Gasoline markets seemed to have shrugged off the news since the fire was reported in a diesel-treating unit, and East Coast gasoline stocks are in ample supply. Diesel prices are finding some strength from the news as regional supplies were already at the lower end of their seasonal ranges, and if there was extensive damage to the hydro-treater it could be some time before the plant resumes normal ULSD production. That said, the largest supplier of fuel to several New England markets was at last report completely shut down, leaving state officials more worried about supplies than traders have been…so far.
The president told the EPA to waive RVP restrictions to allow year-round sales of E15 gasoline (no coincidence the announcement came on the same day as a planned trip to Iowa). Given the uncertainty surrounding engine warranties (aka lawsuits) with higher ethanol blends, this announcement may prove to be nothing more than an attempt to sway mid-term elections, but it does appear to have helped ethanol prices continue their pullback from multi-year lows, while RIN values continued on their slump as the prospect of more biofuel blending is bearish for the credits.
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Week 16 - US DOE Inventory Recap
Energy Markets Trading Quietly In The Red As Ethanol Prices Rally To Five-Month High
Energy markets are trading quietly in the red to start Wednesday’s session after a healthy bounce Tuesday afternoon suggested the Israel-Iran-linked liquidation had finally run its course.
There are reports of more Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy assets overnight, but the sources are sketchy so far, and the market doesn’t seem to be reacting as if this is legitimate news.
Ethanol prices have rallied to a 5-month high this week as corn and other grain prices have rallied after the latest crop progress update highlighted risks to farmers this year, lower grain export expectations from Ukraine, and the approval of E15 blends this summer despite the fact it pollutes more. The rally in grain and renewables prices has also helped RIN values find a bid after it looked like they were about to test their 4-year lows last week.
The API reported small changes in refined product inventories last week, with gasoline stocks down about 600,000, while distillates were up 724,000. Crude oil inventories increased by 3.2 million barrels according to the industry-group estimates. The DOE’s weekly report is due out at its normal time this morning.
Total reported another upset at its Port Arthur refinery that’s been a frequent flier on the TCEQ alerts since the January deep freeze knocked it offline and damaged multiple operating units. This latest upset seems minor as the un-named unit impacted was returned to normal operations in under an hour. Gulf Coast basis markets have shrugged off most reports of refinery upsets this year as the region remains well supplied, and it’s unlikely we’ll see any impact from this news.
California conversely reacted in a big way to reports of an upset at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery outside of LA, with CARBOB basis values jumping by more than a dime. Energy News Today continued to show its value by reporting the upset before the flaring notice was even reported to area regulators, proving once again it’s ahead of the curve on refinery-related events. Another industry news outlet meanwhile struggled just to remember where the country’s largest diesel seller is located.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk
The Struggle For Renewable Producers Continues As A Rapid Influx Of Supply And Crashing Credit Prices Make Biodiesel
The sigh of relief selloff continues in energy markets Tuesday morning, with gasoline prices now down more than 20 cents in 7 sessions, while diesel prices have dropped 26 cents in the past 12. Crude oil prices are within a few pennies of reaching a 1 month low as a lack of headlines from the world’s hot spots allows some reflection into the state of the world’s spare capacity for both oil and refined products.
Gasoline prices are trading near a 6-week low this morning, but still need to fall about another nickel in order to break the weekly trendline that pushed prices steadily higher since December. If that trend breaks, it will be safer to say that we saw the end of the spring gasoline rally on April 12th for the 2nd year in a row. Last year RBOB futures peaked on April 12 at $2.8943 and bottomed out on May 4th at $2.2500. The high (at this point) for this year was set on April 12th at $2.8516, and the low overnight was $2.6454.
It’s not just energy commodities that are seeing an unwind of the “flight to safety” trade: Gold prices had their biggest selloff in 2 years Monday and continue to point lower today. Just how much money poured into commodities in the weeks leading up to the direct confrontation between Israel and Iran is unclear, but we have seen in year’s past that these unwind-events can create a snowball effect as traders can be forced to sell to cover their margin calls.
Supply > Demand: The EIA this morning highlighted the record setting demand for natural gas in the US last year, which was not nearly enough to offset the glut of supply that forced prices to a record low in February. A shortage of natural gas in Europe was a key driver of the chaotic markets that smashed just about every record in 2022, and an excess of natural gas supply in Europe and the US this year is acting as a buffer, particularly on diesel prices.
The struggle for renewable producers continues as a rapid influx of supply and crashing credit prices make Biodiesel, RD and SAF unprofitable for many. In addition to the plant closures announced in the past 6 months, Vertex Energy reported Monday it’s operating its Renewable Diesel facility in Mobile AL at just 50% of capacity in Q1. The truly scary part for many is that the $1/gallon Blender's tax credit ends this year and is being replaced by the “Clean” Fuel production credit that forces producers to prove their emissions reductions in order to qualify for an increased subsidy. It’s impossible to say at this point how much the net reduction will be for domestic producers, but importers will get nothing, and at current CI values, many biodiesel producers may see their “blend credit” cut by more than half.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.