Good morning!

Happy Friday!  Crude prices are starting to do “the limbo” game.  The bar continued to be lowered this week and traders kept passing through without touching.  As of today, WTI prices are now LOWER than when the war in Ukraine started.  WTI crude price is looking at closing below $90/barrel this week.  The crack spreads on gas and diesel have collapsed as demand erosion spreads across the US and Europe.  The fear of continued economic recession has gripped markets tightly.  In addition, a higher than expected jobs report today gave further fuel to the FED’s tightening policy.  For now, we expect interest rates to continue to trend higher. The backwardation curve on crude prices has falling even lower.  Citi Bank is now calling for WTI prices to collapse towards $65/barrel.  However, unlike market collapses in the past, most believe that OPEC+ will step in at $55/barrel and start production cuts to keep prices from falling below the minimum sustainable operations and profitability price point.  OPEC+ is also expected to announce a minimal increased production level beyond the agreed upon quota to appease Biden from his visit last month.  The unknowns at this point are hurricanes.  Hurricanes could actually cause massive price spikes over the next couple of months.  Even though crack spreads are falling, we are still one refinery shutdown away from going into deficit production.  Hurricanes are already more common this year compared to last year.  We’ve had three named storms already this season compared to only one last year at this time.  And last season was one of the most active storm season’s in 50 years.  For now, we can enjoy some relief on prices at the pump, but be prepared to jump higher if hurricanes take out the Gulf Coast production.

In local retail news, gasoline and diesel prices continue to trend lower.  In looking at the spot market collapse this week, I expect to see prices at the pump to go even lower next week.

Propane prices continue their stable trend of bouncing along the bottom of low prices.  However, propane inventory data from Canada was confirmed that supplies are 50% lower in the East compared to last year.  This means that if we have to rely on Eastern Canadian propane for a cold winter, prices will be very high.  I still recommend filling your tank now and locking in some gallons for the upcoming season.  Cost averaging is the best form of price protection.  Market timing in these volatile times is luck, not skill.  🙂

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to give us a call.

Best regards,

Jon Crawford

Good morning!

Happy Friday! The data released this week is causing much confusion and forcing traders to take pause. For months now, the fear of recession has loomed over the markets.  Analysists have been waiting patiently for earnings and Q2 GDP data to be released that would either confirm their fears or maybe kick the can down the road.  Well, this week was a head scratcher.  Earnings from big retailers showed slow growth and guidance was weak.  Walmart showed slowing sales.  GM was down.  Facebook and other advertising-based tech companies all showed slowing growth and weak guidance. And then the GDP report for Q2 showed almost another 1% contraction, confirming two straight quarters of negative growth to start the year.  By mid-week, most folk were confident in calling the “down-cycle” to continue.  But then on Wednesday, the EIA reported draws on crude oil, gasoline, and diesel.  The draws were a surprise that possibly demand was still intact at current price levels.  Then Ford and Amazon hit their numbers out of the park reversing the negative earnings trend for the week.  Biden and Xi met and are trying to “mend the fence” for China and America to work better together.  Ukraine and Russia struck some food supply export deals.  Europe is starting to get control of their nat-gas situation.  And no one believes that OPEC+ can increase crude production into the end of year.  Basically, market started to shrug off the fears.  Oh, and did I mention that the FED officially raised rates another .75%, confirming the two largest back-to-back rate hikes in over 20 years?  Even the FED announcement on Thursday did nothing to stop the markets grip on positive sentiment.  WTI Crude prices are climbing back to $100/barrel.  Supplies are tight, but we are winding down from high demand seasons across the globe.  Is the rally real, or are we setting up another head-fake going into the end of the year?  I believe the reality of where we are heading will start to flush out by end of September.  Until then, emotions on news stories will run the market.

In local news, gasoline and diesel prices continue to slowly drop.  Unless we have a major refinery issue in the Midwest, I do not expect to see gasoline retail prices above $4/gallon, and retail diesel should remain below $5/gallon.  The foundation is shaky, but it’s much better than last month.  Now we need to hope for a staggered harvest.  A rush-harvest could really cause some supply issues in the Midwest.  But that’s a couple of months down the road.

Propane is continue it’s skip along the bottom.  I can not continue to stress enough the value of propane at current prices.  Propane inventories are not in great shape right now.  We did not build national inventories to levels that I am comfortable with for this time of the year.  If we have a strong corn drying season and a cold winter, propane prices will go up dramatically.  In the past, Canada rail propane has been our savior.  But this year, new petrochemical factories have opened in Canada which will take most of the excess propane that could be shipped to the US.  I am not sounding any alarm bells or asking for panic.  I’m just saying that don’t relax on propane based on current market conditions and past experiences.  If you have not filled your tank this summer, please do so.  And I highly recommend contracting some propane for the upcoming heating season.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to give us a call.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Best regards,

Jon Crawford