By Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric The final and holiday-shortened trade week in May brought about a great amount of volatility in US oil markets, which whipsawed in futures and spot trading on a multitude of concerns ranging from assessments of U.S. and global economies, Federal Reserve stimulus efforts, geopolitical tension in Africa…
Wholesale Gasoline Prices Drop on Building Supply
Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric A mid-May price spike in Midwest gasoline cash differentials spurred by a trio of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit outages at refineries located in the region atop of refinery upgrades that have limited the production of oil products in the Midwest continues to abate, pressuring supplier “rack” postings…
FCC Outages Point to Higher Gasoline Prices in June
By Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric A trio of unexpected gasoline producing unit outages in Illinois, Wyoming, and Kansas, atop of already low supply in the Midwest spiked regional gasoline prices to start out the second half of May, and in front of Memorial Day in what is known as the kickoff to…
Shaken Economy Cannot Stir Gasoline Demand
Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric For six straight weeks, the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) retail gasoline price average has declined, down 17.6 cents or 4.7% from Feb. 25 when it reached $3.784 gallon, which is currently the high for 2013. Considering sharp selling activity during the second week of April, the February high…
U.S. Gasoline Prices Pause Ascent—Renewed Advance Awaits
By Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric For the first time since the middle of December, the U.S. average price for regular grade gasoline moved lower according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) weekly survey, pressured by worries over economic growth and the effect on fuel demand, along with lower asking prices by suppliers…
U.S. Retail Gasoline Average 5% Shy of 2012 High
Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric As February nears an end, retail gasoline prices are already at highs one would expect when the weather warms, not when some parts of the country are still digging out of snow drifts. A recent double-digit jump in the retail average reported by the Energy Information Administration means…
Could We Be Midway Through Gasoline’s Preseason Rally?
By: Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric. The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) U.S. average price for all formulations of regular grade gasoline sold at retail outlets jumped another 7.3 cents through the week-ended Feb. 11, which was the eighth consecutive weekly increase in the national gasoline average. Since Dec. 17, when the U.S. average…
Futures Surge Push up Wholesale Gasoline Costs
By Brian L. Milne, Energy Editor, Schneider Electric In futures trading, the nearest delivered New York Mercantile Exchange RBOB (reformulated blendstock for oxygenate blending) contract surged 17.82 cents or 6.2% from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, with supplier postings at terminals serving major metropolitan markets up sharply, reflecting some of that increase from paper trading.…
Mideast Conflict Spurs Worry Over Oil Supply Disruptions
Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip may not be oil producers, but the conflict between the two groups has elevated the geopolitical risk premium for the oil-rich Middle East region over concerns of supply disruptions should hostilities spill out to other countries. Israel launched air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza in mid-November following…
Pain at the Pump Hits Californians
Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN The odd pairing of weak demand for gasoline while supply is tight has been a running theme in the U.S. for much of 2012, while unplanned refinery outages have had a more dramatic effect on certain regional markets, the latest in California. On the heels of a…