It’s Been A Choppy Trading Session For Energy Futures With Overnight Gains Turning Into Morning Losses

Market TalkTuesday, May 17 2022
Pivotal Week For Price Action

It’s been a choppy trading session for energy futures with overnight gains turning into morning losses, and signs of a potential market top flashing even as new records are being set.   RBOB gasoline futures and several US spot markets set fresh records on Monday, meaning new record highs for retail prices are coming. While that’s bad news for consumers, and will no doubt continue to dominate headlines near term, there’s a divergence with diesel prices that could be bringing relief. 

Monday was a relatively quiet session for NYH ULSD futures, which traded down less than 1.5 cents, but a big day for NYH diesel spot markets that dropped more than 56 cents on the day.  A big drop in NYH was inevitable as those values were trading $1/gallon or more than any other US region, and typically once a bubble like that bursts it’s a one way trip lower so don’t be surprised to see more downside now that sellers have emerged.  

Just as the backwardation in ULSD, and the spread to NYH, have started their return trip to reality, gasoline spreads have decided to smash records. The Prompt month futures spread for RBOB reached its highest level since the wake of Hurricane Harvey yesterday, and is actually more impressive given that this backwardation doesn’t include the winter RVP discount like that one did. Even more impressive, June RBOB futures are trading $1.15 above January, which is roughly 60 cents higher than the record prior to this year.

The premium for barrels in NYH has sent values for shipping product along Colonial to their highest levels of the year, although as we saw with diesel prices the past couple of months, the backwardation in the market makes this a challenge. The difference between gasoline and diesel however is that the export bid for gasoline is not nearly as strong, so sending barrels north on Colonial seems to make the most sense for those with space. 

With supply options in the slim to none category globally the major question is how soon will the record high prices start hitting fuel demand? Rising fuel prices are already being cited as a headwind in Wall Street earnings reports, and we’ll have to wait and see if main street reacts with staycations this summer, or if they’ll pay up to get out after 2 years of travel disruptions.

Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.

Market Talk Update 05.17.22

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Most Energy Contracts Are Ticking Lower For A 2nd Day After A Trickle Of Selling Picked Up Steam Tuesday

Most energy contracts are ticking lower for a 2nd day after a trickle of selling picked up steam Tuesday. ULSD futures are down a dime from Monday’s highs and RBOB futures are down 7 cents.

Diesel prices continue to look like the weak link in the energy chain, with futures coming within 1 point of their March lows overnight, setting up a test of the December lows around $2.48 if that resistance breaks down. Despite yesterday’s slide, RBOB futures still look bullish on the weekly charts, with a run towards the $3 mark still looking like a strong possibility in the next month or so.

The API reported crude stocks increased by more than 9 million barrels last week, while distillates were up 531,000 and gasoline stocks continued their seasonal decline falling by 4.4 million barrels. The DOE’s weekly report is due out at its normal time this morning.

RIN values have recovered to their highest levels in 2 months around $.59/RIN for D4 and D6 RINs, even though the recovery rally in corn and soybean prices that had helped lift prices off of the 4 year lows set in February has stalled out. Expectations for more biofuel production to be shut in due to weak economics with lower subsidy values seems to be encouraging the tick higher in recent weeks, although prices are still about $1/RIN lower than this time last year.

Reminder that Friday is one of only 3 annual holidays in which the Nymex is completely shut, so no prices will be published, but it’s not a federal holiday in the US so banks will be open.

Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.

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Refined Products Seeing Small Losses Of Around A Penny While Crude Oil Contracts Hover Just Above Break Even

Energy futures are taking a breather to start Tuesday’s trading, with refined products seeing small losses of around a penny while crude oil contracts hover just above break even.

No new news on either the Red Sea shipping or Russian Refining attacks this morning, so Cocoa prices seem to be taking over the commodity headlines while energy markets wait on their next big move.

RBOB gasoline futures set a new 6-month high Monday at $2.7711, which leaves the door open on the weekly charts for the spring rally to continue. A run at the $3 mark is certainly possible in the next few weeks before the typical seasonal price peak is set just before the start of driving season.

A container ship lost power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore this morning, causing a devastating collapse. While cargo shipping into the area will no doubt be impacted by this event, fuel supplies are unlikely to see any notable change since the 9 fuel terminals in Baltimore are primarily supplied by Colonial pipeline. Barges from Philadelphia refineries do supplement Baltimore supplies at times, and those vessel flows will be impacted at least until rescue operations are completed and the bridge sections removed from the waterway. That said, since shipping up from the Gulf Coast via Colonial is generally cheaper than shipping an NY Harbor-priced barrel south, the amount of supply disrupted by this event will be minimal.

While we’re still waiting on the official forecasts for the Atlantic Hurricane season, early reports continue to suggest that we could be in for a very busy year due to warm water temperatures and a forming La Nina pattern.

Dallas meanwhile is preparing for a different sort of disruption, with city officials encouraging companies to let employees work from home during the solar eclipse on April 8th as metroplex traffic is expected to surge. While some isolated fuel outages are certainly possible if people start panic buying gasoline they don’t need, there’s no reason to expect any widespread impact from the demand spike.

Today’s interesting read: Why AI requires a staggering amount of electricity and may create supply competition for EVs that will end up benefitting fossil fuels.

Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.