Senate Election Results Impact On Financial Markets
We’ve had a busy couple of weeks’ worth of price action so far in 2021, and we’re just starting our third day of trading. Energy prices have gone from the cusp of a technical breakout to the upside, to a huge reversal that threatened a price collapse, and back again to 10 month highs in just two days. Prices are starting Wednesday’s session with more of a wait-and-see approach after being unable to sustain their rally overnight. OPEC-inspired whiplash is getting most of the credit for the big swings in energy markets, while the Senate election results look like they’ll be the big story today that will likely have broader impacts on financial markets.
Saudi Arabia surprised pretty much everyone Tuesday by announcing it would unilaterally cut its oil output by one million barrels/day, which would allow Russia and other countries to increase their output, without flooding the global market as demand continues to sputter. While the move shocked the markets, which responded with a furious rally in oil and refined product futures, it seems to be in some ways the Kingdom making good on the promise it made in the fall to do whatever is necessary to stabilize the global oil markets and teach speculators a lesson. This move also sets the stage for some interesting political theatre once demand returns, as the Saudi’s will no doubt remember those that supported them in this effort, and probably even more those that did not.
Not buying it? As the basis charts below show, differentials for physical prices in most regional U.S. spot markets dropped on the day as cash markets seem to think the current supply/demand realities are not as optimistic as the futures market action suggests. That hesitation by the big physical traders could be enough to stall the momentum in futures, just as they look like they’re breaking technical resistance and poised for another rally. The API report in the afternoon gave more reason for fundamentalists to have doubts about the recent run-up as both gasoline and diesel saw large very large inventory builds last week (5.5 and 7.1 million barrels respectively) but that report seems to have been largely lost in the shuffle of the bigger news stories. The DOE’s report will be out at its normal time today, but you’ll be forgiven if you miss it while watching the election coverage.
Early results appear to show that Democrats will win both seats in Georgia, flipping control of the Senate, and giving the party control of Congress and the White House for at least two years. There will surely be some selling as control of the legislative and executive branches will no longer be split, assuming the current calls hold, but some other reports suggest we could see some risk assets rally as this change could also make new fiscal stimulus measures easier to sign into law.
For energy markets in particular, a flip in the Senate will almost certainly mean more aggressive laws to combat climate change, which in some cases may mean tighter restrictions on traditional oil producers and refiners. That is not necessarily bearish for prices however as more restrictions tend to mean less supply (and less investment) which could end up driving an extended rally in prices if demand recovers this year.
The reaction in RIN markets today may give us an early indication of how traders in the refined product space view the changing of the guard in the Senate. RIN prices have already been surging lately, in sympathy with corn and soybean prices that are reaching multi-year highs largely due to concerns over South American grain exports, and this latest bit of news could encourage another strong rally if the market believes the new congress will push for increased renewable mandates. Then again, the RIN market is notoriously volatile, and there could be some buy the rumor sell the news once the current bout of short covering is over.
Click here to download a PDF of today's TACenergy Market Talk.
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Energy Markets Rally Again Thursday After A Choppy Wednesday Session
Energy markets are trying to rally again Thursday after a choppy Wednesday session. RBOB gasoline futures are leading the push higher, on pace for a 3rd consecutive day of gains after finding a temporary floor Tuesday and have added 12 cents from those lows.
Equity markets are pointing sharply lower after a weak Q1 GDP estimate which seems to have contributed to a pullback in product prices over the past few minutes, but don’t be surprised if the “bad news is good news” low interest rate junkies start jumping in later on.
The DOE’s weekly report showed sluggish demand for gasoline and diesel, but inventory levels in most markets continue to follow their typical seasonal trends. Refinery runs held fairly steady last week with crude inputs down slightly but total gross throughputs up slightly as most facilities are now back online from a busy spring maintenance season and geared up for peak demand this summer.
Propane and propylene exports spiked to a record high north of 2.3 million barrels/day last week, which demonstrates both the US’s growing influence on global product markets, and the steady shift towards “other” products besides traditional gasoline and diesel in the level of importance for refiners.
The EIA acknowledged this morning that its weak diesel consumption estimates reflected the switch to Renewable Diesel on the West Coast, although they did not provide any timeline for when that data will be included in the weekly survey. The agency acknowledged that more than 4% of the total US consumption is now a combination of RD and Biodiesel, and that number is expected to continue to grow this year. This morning’s note also suggested that weak manufacturing activity was to blame for the sluggish diesel demand across the US, while other reports suggest the freight recession continued through Q1 of this year, which is also contributing to the big shift from tight diesel markets to oversupplied in several regions.
Valero kicked off the Q1 earnings releases for refiners with solid net income of $1.2 billion that’s a far cry from the spectacular earnings north of $3 billion in the first quarter of 2023. The refining sector made $1.7 billion, down from $4.1 billion last year. That is a pattern that should be expected from other refiners as well as the industry returns to a more normal market after 2 unbelievable years. You wouldn’t guess it by looking at stock prices for refiners though, as they continue to trade near record highs despite the more modest earnings.
Another pattern we’re likely to see continue with other refiners is that Renewable earnings were down, despite a big increase in production as lower subsidies like RINs and LCFS credit values sting producers that rely on those to compete with traditional products. Valero’s SAF conversion project at its Diamond Green joint venture is progressing ahead of schedule and will give the company optionality to flip between RD and SAF depending on how the economics of those two products shakes out this year. Valero also shows part of why refiners continue to disappear in California, with operating expenses for its West Coast segment nearly 2X that of the other regions it operates in.
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