Tag Archives: briggsvile

Public Service Announcement: EXTREME COLD

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Good morning,

I would like to discuss the EXTREME cold temperatures that are hitting our area for the next week.  The arctic blast from the Polar Vortex is going to hang around for some time.  In addition, we might see snow on Monday.  If you are a will-call heating oil or propane customer, please keep an eye on your tank.  Your consumption will greatly increase over the coming days.  These temperatures are very dangerous so please take caution when being outside.  Frostbite can happen in under 30 minutes with some of the temperatures predicted.  Our drivers are working extra hard to stay ahead of this cold snap.  Please make sure that your driveway is cleared and there is a safe path to your tank.  We want to complete safe and efficient deliveries over the coming week.

As far as prices are concerned, crude oil continues to be volatile.  The biggest news that we continue to monitor are the developments in Venezuela and the US government shutdown.  The potential for lost crude imports from Venezuela could impact the US.  We import about 300K barrels of heavy crude from Venezuela and the loss of that product could push up diesel prices.  The government shutdown continues to put pressure on the economy.  As long as the government opens soon and the Chinese/US trade teams continue to talk, we expect to see crude oil consumption stay healthy this year.

In local news, the crack spreads on diesel in the Chicago market dried up driving the cost of diesel in our market up by more than 20 cents/gallon.  Our cost is now on average with the rest of the East of Rockies markets.  I expect to see diesel prices at the pump rise.  Gasoline retail prices continue to resist breaking back over $2/gallon.  I would expect to see most markets back above $2/gallon in the near future.

Propane prices are starting to creep back up with winter weather causing healthy demand.  However, production is very strong and inventories are high.  So I don’t see any potential for major prices moves higher in propane this winter.

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

Best regards,

Jon Crawford – Pres.

Happy New Year!

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Thank you to everyone for a safe and wonderful 2018!  I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year celebration and is looking forward to 2019!

Fuel prices are starting to carve out a bottom.  Stocks and crude are starting to trade at normal volumes.  There is not too much to report at this time.  Oil prices are starting to cautiously rise but more predictions will come next week.  OPEC is looking like they are sticking to their proposed cuts.  The dollar is losing strength.  Global economic acceleration is in question.  Trade wars are in discussion.  And demand strength is debatable.  All great topics that will be better covered next week.  So hang tight.

For now, enjoy some cheap gasoline and diesel prices at the pump!  The Chicago SPOT market which sets cost in our area is WAY oversupplied in the moment.  I would expect to see gasoline prices jump about 5 cents in the next couple weeks, and diesel is ripe for nearly a 20 cent+ price jump in the coming weeks!  More to come!

Propane retail prices are stable and supplies are good.  The warm weather is keeping demand in check.  But the cold is coming.  It’s just a matter of time.  Please make sure that your driveways are plowed and there is a safe path to your propane tanks to ensure driver safety and efficient delivery.

Thank you again for a great year in 2018 and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to give us a call.

Best regards,

Jon Crawford – Pres.

Fundamentals Ignored

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Good morning,

Traders continue to ignore fundamentals and have abandoned all hope on investing in crude.  WTI crude dropped below $50/barrel and is fast approaching $45/barrel.  The main driver is a fear of economic meltdown in 2019 causing demand destruction coupled with over supply.  Currently the U.S. is exporting more crude than importing and our production is at record levels.  In addition, Russia is pumping strong.  However, demand is still strong in the U.S. and crude inventories have dropped a bit in the U.S.  And world demand continues to be strong.  Also, the Middle East is continuing to struggle with geopolitical issues, the largest Libya oil field is under siege and out of production, and Saudi Arabia is cutting production more than expected.  In other words, when looking at supply and demand, we are moving closer to a crude deficit than a surplus, coupled with extremely volatile geopolitical issues.  But traders are staying on the sidelines and buying the rumor of economic meltdown in 2019.  So for now, we sit back and wait.  There is a potential for the bottom to fall out, but the true fundamentals point to higher prices.  The crude market is now trading on emotion which is scary.  Therefore it’s best to stay away and wait for a bottom to be carved out.  There is a tremendous opportunity at these low prices, but I’m not 100% in until a bottom is carved out.  At the end of the day, there is still more long term risk of higher prices as compared to lower prices.  The question is, how long will these lower prices stay?  That’s the billion dollar question and only time will tell.

In local news, retail prices on gasoline are ever so close to $1.99/gallon in Central Wisconsin and will probably get there.  Diesel prices have now moved below $3.00/gallon and will probably stay there for some time.  These lower prices will help for the holiday travel season coupled with warm weather.

Propane retail prices have remained steady as we experience a lull in demand before January.  For now we are predicting a cold January.  The weather is looking to change around the end of December and move colder into January with a deep freeze possible by the middle of January.  The analog data is also starting to show that February could be very cold as well.  So enjoy the warm Christmas weather because this could be the last warmth for a couple months!

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

Best regards,

Jon Crawford – Pres.

Tug of War

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Good morning,

Crude prices this week are stuck in a game of “Tug of War” right now between geopolitical issues and true fundamentals.  Global recession fears are weighing on traders’ minds as we end the year which is keeping “Big Money” from going long on crude.  The fears are weighed by China/US trade war, disappointing economic data, and BREXIT drama.  Not to mention that Saudi Arabia and Russia continue to make headlines which have potential for supply issues.  But in true fundamentals, the US exported more crude than consumed last month.  So there are buyers out there.  It’s a head scratcher.  Big Money is stuck on short positions right now which I think will hold until the end of the year.  I feel that money managers are going to look at January as a potential entry point on crude.  So for now, enjoy the Christmas gift that the traders have given us!  But when Big Money enters the market, be prepared for a quick increase in crude prices.  And I do believe it’s not a matter of “if”, but “when”.

Retail prices on gasoline and diesel have stabilized for the moment.  We are looking at around $2.15/gallon on gasoline and $3.00/gallon on diesel.  I think that these prices will hold potentially for the end of the month.

Propane prices have also stabilized but are starting to carve out the potential for an uptick.  Demand is rip-roaring right now.  The current warm spell is looking to end by Christmas, with the potential for colder than normal coming back, including a possible Polar Vortex in early January.  As always, please make sure your driveway is clear and there is a path to your tank this winter.

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

Best regards,

Jon Crawford – Pres.

OPEC Meeting Disappoints

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Good afternoon,

The big OPEC meeting today in Vienna did not impress traders.  Hopes were for over a 1.5M barrel/day cut, and that does not look like it will happen, even when Russia weighs in tomorrow.  In addition, the economic outlook is starting to look weak for the U.S. which is causing a massive sell off in the market.  To top it off, China and U.S. trade tensions are high with summit talks being interpreted differently between the two countries as well as Canada arresting an executive from the Chinese firm Huawei.  The traders have reacted by selling off even more crude contracts.  WTI crude prices have now dropped back to their lows for the year.  The bullish news being reported was a major drop in crude supplies here in the U.S., Iran threatening to block the Straight of Hormuz, and Canada offering to cut crude production to help prop up prices.  For now, traders seem to think the world is entering closer to surplus on crude supplies and bearish news on the economy is winning the war of words.  For now, cheap oil prices are maybe here to stay until year end.  We will need to wait for Russia’s reaction as well as OPEC’s official report.

In local news, retail prices on gasoline have bottomed out near $2.19/gallon, and retail diesel prices are right around $3.00/gallon depending on the winter blending applied.  I would expect to see these lower prices through Christmas.  So for now, we can enjoy some lower prices for the holiday season!

Propane prices have bottomed as demand continues to climb.  We officially experienced the coldest November on record.  For all will-call customers, please make sure to keep an eye on your propane tank.  Usage is up more than 20% this year.  As a reminder, please make sure to have yoru driveway cleared and a path available to your tank throughout the winter.  We appreciate all your help for making safe and efficient deliveries. 

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

Best regards,

Jon Crawford – Pres.