Fueling Strategy: Please fuel as needed tonight but plan on Thursday’s 2 cent drop in prices – Please Be Safe Today
NYMEX Crude $ 25.09 UP $1.4600
NYMEX ULSD $1.0107 DN $0.0168
NYMEX Gas $0.6780 UP $0.0298
NEWS
Oil prices jumped on Wednesday, supported by hopes that a meeting between OPEC members and allied producers on Thursday will trigger output cuts to shore up prices that have collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thursday’s videoconference meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia is expected to be more successful than their gathering in March, which ended in a failure to extend supply cuts and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. “The coming extraordinary producing-countries meeting is the only hope on the horizon for the market,” said Bjornar Tonhaugen of Rystad Energy. “Nobody wants to go short ahead of what could be a ‘positive surprise’ by OPEC+.” US WTI Crude rose 73 cents, or 3%, to trade at $24.34 per barrel. Brent Crude gained 40 cents, or 1.3%, to trade at $32.26 per barrel.
On Wednesday the U.S. Energy Information Administration said that inventory rose by 15.2 million barrels for the week ending April 3. Analysts had been expecting a build of 9.67 million barrels, according to estimates from FactSet. Crude has collapsed in 2020 because of a slide in demand due to the coronavirus outbreak and excess supply. Brent dropped to $21.65, its lowest since 2002, on March 30. While OPEC sources have said a deal to cut production is conditional on the participation of the United States, doubts remain as to whether Washington will contribute.
The U.S. Department of Energy said on Tuesday U.S. output was already declining, without government action. U.S. crude production is expected to slump by 470,000 bpd and and demand is set to drop by about 1.3 million bpd in 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday. Before the OPEC and other producers’ meeting, the latest round of U.S. oil inventory data will be in focus on Wednesday.
In a sign of excess supply, the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said U.S. crude inventories jumped by 11.9 million barrels.
Have a Great Day,
Loren R Bailey, President
Fuel Manager Services Inc.
Office: 479-846-2761
Cell: 479-790-5581