IEA Increases Global Demand Forecast
No luck for the bulls so far this morning as the energy complex is facing a wave of selling for a third straight day. RBOB gasoline futures are once again leading the move lower, after a furious late day rally briefly pushed gasoline prices into positive territory Tuesday, only to fall back into the red just before settlement. Some technical analysts view a failed rally attempt like we saw yesterday as a bearish signal, since buyers are unable to gather enough momentum to end the day on a strong note, and that theory is looking good at the moment, now we’ll see if it lasts the day.
This selloff has ULSD futures roughly three cents away from the trend-line that’s held the rally since November 1, while RBOB futures will need to break below $2 this week in order to follow suit. Whether or not we see prices break that trend will likely be pivotal in determining if the $2.17 mark set early Monday will prove to be the high trade of the year. If so, we’d expect another 20-30 cents of downside on gasoline prices if the seasonal rally unwinds like it does most years.
The IEA increased its global demand forecast in its latest monthly oil market report, but also suggested that the spare capacity of oil production sitting on the sidelines was more than capable of handling that increase. The IEA report seems to throw cold water on recent Bank reports suggesting a new commodity supercycle that will send oil prices much higher in the coming years.
The API reported more pedestrian changes in inventory levels last week, in comparison to the past two record setting weeks. Crude & Gasoline stocks were both down around one million barrels, while distillates grew by a little under one million barrels. The DOE’s weekly report is due out at its normal time this morning, with the refinery runs the key figure to watch as it’s still hard to decipher what units at what facilities have returned to normal levels after the February freeze.
Supply allocations, particularly for diesel and premium gasoline grades, remain tight across the southern half of the country, with occasional outages continuing to pop up from New Mexico through the South East. Easing cash market differentials in most regions besides the West Coast suggest that resupplies are on the way, but it will probably be about another week or more before the markets further from the refining hubs start to feel some relief.
RIN prices seem to be catching their breath after a strong rally that approached all-time highs Monday. The AFPM sent a letter to the EPA urging it to act since the spike in prices, which it argues are partially caused by the agency not meeting its deadline to set obligation levels, are threatening to put more refiners out of business. A change in stance from the EPA back in 2013 helped RIN values drop by more than $1/RIN, so any reaction or lack of from the agency will certainly be market moving news.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.
News & Views
View All
Energy Futures Are Caught Up In Headline Tug-O-War This Morning
Energy futures are caught up in headline tug-o-war this morning with Canadian oil production concerns and a positive US GDP report trying to push prices higher while sinking Chinese demand worries and Gaza ceasefire hopes are applying downward pressure. The latter two seem to be favored more so far this morning with WTI and Brent crude oil futures down ~45 cents per barrel, while gasoline and diesel prices are down about half a cent and two cents, respectively.
No news is good news? Chicago gasoline prices dropped nearly 30 cents yesterday, despite there not being any update on Exxon’s Joliet refinery after further damage was discovered Wednesday. Its tough to say if traders have realized the supply situation isn’t as bad as originally thought or if this historically volatile market is just being itself (aka ‘Chicago being Chicago’).
The rain isn’t letting up along the Texas Gulf Coast today and is forecasted to carry on through the weekend. While much of the greater Houston area is under flood watch, only two refineries are within the (more serious) flood warning area: Marathon’s Galveston Bay and Valero’s Texas City refineries. However, notification that more work is needed at Phillip’s 66 Borger refinery (up in the panhandle) is the only filing we’ve seen come through the TECQ, so far.
Premiums over the tariff on Colonial’s Line 1 (aka linespace value) returned to zero yesterday, and actually traded in the negatives, after its extended run of positive values atypical of this time of year. Line 1’s counterpart, Line 2, which carries distillates from Houston to Greensboro NC, has traded at a discount so far this year, due to the healthy, if not over-, supply of diesel along the eastern seaboard.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.
WTI And Brent Crude Oil Futures Are Trading ~$1.50 Per Barrel Lower In Pre-Market Trading
The across-the-board drawdown in national energy stockpiles, as reported by the Department of Energy yesterday, stoked bullish sentiment Wednesday and prompt month gasoline, diesel, and crude oil futures published gains on the day. Those gains are being given back this morning.
The surprise rate cut by the People’s Bank of China is being blamed for the selling we are seeing in energy markets this morning. While the interest rate drop in both short- and medium-term loans won’t likely affect energy prices outright, the concern lies in the overall economic health of the world’s second largest economy and crude oil consumer. Prompt month WTI and Brent crude oil futures are trading ~$1.50 per barrel lower in pre-market trading, gasoline and diesel are following suit, shaving off .0400-.0450 per gallon.
Chicagoland RBOB has maintained its 60-cent premium over New York prices through this morning and shows no sign of coming down any time soon. Quite the opposite in fact: the storm damage, which knocked Exxon Mobil’s Joliet refinery offline on 7/15, seems to be more extensive than initially thought, potentially extending the repair time and pushing back the expected return date.
There are three main refineries that feed the Chicago market, the impact from one of them shutting down abruptly can be seen in the charts derived from aforementioned data published by the DOE. Refinery throughput in PADD 2 dropped 183,000 barrels per day, driving gasoline stockpiles in the area down to a new 5-year seasonal low.
While it seems all is quiet on the Atlantic front (for now), America’s Refineryland is forecasted to receive non-stop rain and thunderstorms for the next four days. While it may not be as dramatic as a hurricane, flooding and power outages can shut down refineries, and cities for that matter, all the same, as we learned from Beryl.