Tag: refining margins

Best in Energy – 25 January 2023

China’s quota system for oil import and exports

U.S. refinery margins strengthen on maintenance

Northeast Asia boosted coal imports in December

Brazil’s hydroelectric dams are brim full ($BBG)

U.S. air freight moves to secondary hubs ($WSJ)

U.S. temporary employment is declining ($WSJ)

Lithium producers anticipate long boom ($FT)

U.S. oilfield services see multi-year boom ($FT)

SINGAPORE’s inventories of distillate fuel oils have stabilised and increased slightly since nearing a multi-year low under 7 million barrels in early November. The increase has coincided with an acceleration of diesel exports from China and a slowdown in freight movements which have relieved some of the regional shortage. Nonetheless stocks are still -2.5 million barrels (-24%) below the prior ten-year seasonal average:

Best in Energy – 21 June 2022

China power generators relying on lower-quality coal

White House considers suspension of U.S. gasoline tax

Russia becomes top crude oil supplier to China in May

U.S./Germany sign firm LNG export agreement ($WSJ)

Australia’s power shortage will spur more rooftop solar

Iron ore prices fall on China’s building downturn ($FT)

United Kingdom addicted to currency devaluation ($FT)

China scrutinises Musk’s dual-use technologies ($FT)

SOUTHEAST ASIA’s gross refining margin for making gas oil from Dubai crude has climbed to a record $70 per barrel, up from $7 a year ago, as fuel supplies for freight and manufacturing remain at 14-year lows:

EAST CHINA’s temperatures have been 2-5°C higher than the long-term seasonal average since the middle of June, straining power supplies in the Lower Yangtze region and the provinces just to its north, including Jiangsu, Henan and up to Shandong:

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Best in Energy – 16 June 2022

U.S. central bank raises interest rate by +0.75%

US/EU concern about insurance sanctions ($FT)

White House complains about refining margins

U.S. refiners respond to president’s letter

EU/Russia gas flows fall sharply

Australia’s electricity market suspension

Australia appeals for power conservation

China to centralise iron ore buying ($FT)

Biden team divided over economy ($WSJ)

U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE increased its target range for the federal funds rate by +75 basis points to 1.50-1.75%, the largest increase since 1994. In real terms, monetary policy has become increasingly stimulative because inflation has risen faster than rates. The real interest rate had fallen to -5.25% in May 2022 compared with -3.75% in May 2021 and +0.38% in May 2019. The large rise was designed to signal the central bank’s determination to bring inflation under control as well as to start making real interest rates less stimulative:

U.S. PETROLEUM INVENTORIES including the strategic reserve depleted by -3 million bbl to 1,682 million bbl last week. Inventories have fallen in 75 of the last 102 weeks by a total of -435 million bbl since the start of July 2020. Stocks are at the lowest seasonal level since 2008:

U.S. DISTILLATE INVENTORIES rose by +0.7 million bbl to 110 million bbl last week. East Coast stocks increased by +1.2 million bbl to 27 million bbl. But total stocks remain -27 million bbl (-19%) below the pre-pandemic five-year seasonal average. Although inventories have started to accumulate seasonally the deficit is not narrowing because refineries cannot make enough fuel to rebuild stocks:

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Best in Energy – 9 June 2022

Freeport LNG explosion to shut facility for at least 3 weeks

OPEC spare capacity set to fall to lowest for over a decade

Battery shortages hinder wind and solar grid integration

Asia’s jet fuel refining margins hit record high

U.S. PETROLEUM inventories increased by +4 million bbl to 1,685 million bbl last week. The one-week increase was the largest so far this year. But stocks are still at the lowest seasonal level since 2008: