Charts Continue To Suggest Diesel Is In A Precarious Position

It’s a mixed bag for energy markets to start Friday’s trading with diesel prices up 2 cents, gasoline down 2 cents and crude oil flat in the early going.

Diesel prices had their lowest settlement Thursday since prior to the war breaking out a year ago, an event that was the major factor in ULSD futures breaking just about every record on the books. The March ULSD contract also came within a penny of hitting its lowest outright value of the past 13 months before once again finding enough of a bid to avoid a technical collapse. Charts continue to suggest diesel is in a precarious position, with a major slide possible if the $2.66 range fails to hold support. If you’re a believer in the trading adage that “There’s no such thing as a triple bottom” on the charts, then a slide into the $2.50s should feel inevitable as we’ve seen lows near $2.66 three times in the past 3 weeks.

Crude oil inventories saw another large build, swelling by more than 7.6 million barrels, despite a surge in export activity that sent more than 32 million barrels of crude out of the country last week. The combined build in crude oil stocks reported over the past two weeks totals nearly 24 million barrels, even though those same reports show strong export growth and stagnant imports. Refinery runs and crude production can’t explain the big inventory gains since both were flat last week, leaving many to wonder how a government report could possibly have such confusing and misleading data. 

Don’t worry, the EIA makes it perfectly clear by reporting a 2 million barrel/day adjustment to US Crude oil supplies in each of the past 2 weeks. 2 million barrels/day X 14 days = 28 million barrels of oil that the agency has in its compiled reports and is saying has no idea how it got there.  

If you’re enjoying the confusing government data theme today, check out the PCE report that shows inflation continues to run hot and has stock markets pulling back yet again since it reinforces the idea that the FED won’t be letting up its tightening any time soon.

Los Angeles diesel basis values dropped 11 cents on Thursday, even though PADD 5 diesel inventories remain well below the 5-year seasonal range and multiple refinery issues continue to limit output in the region. Soft demand was likely the culprit in that large basis slide as 6” of rain and the first blizzard warning in parts of California in more than a decade are certainly not encouraging trucks to be on the road.

Total US Diesel inventories climbed back into their 5-year seasonal range for the first time in a year and moved above prior year levels for the first time since 2021. Diesel demand remains at very low levels for this time of the year, with minimal heating demand getting much of the blame for the worst start to a year for diesel consumption in a decade.

The US exported nearly 6 million barrels of refined products last week, but most of it wasn’t gasoline and diesel. In fact, the charts below show propane and propylene exports were on part with gasoline and diesel, demonstrating the growing importance of HGLs in the global energy mix.

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