Crude Oil Futures Fluctuate Along With U.S. Equity Markets

Crude oil fluctuated along with equities as energy traders looked to stocks for signals of the strength of the economic recovery and fuel demand. Oil traded in a $1.66 range as stocks drifted between gains and losses after American International Group Inc. rose on the sale of a unit while drugmakers sank as President Barack Obama embarked on a final push to overhaul the health care system. An Energy Department report on March 10 will show that U.S. crude supplies climbed last week, a Bloomberg News survey showed.

“Until we get some solid statistics from the DOE on Wednesday, the market will look at equities for direction,” said Carl Larry, president of Oil Outlooks & Opinions LLC in Houston. Crude oil for April delivery rose 19 cents to $81.69 a barrel at 1:43 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures touched $82.41, the highest level since Jan. 11. Prices are up 79 percent from a year earlier.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 1.76, or 0.2 percent to 1,140.46. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.68 point to 10,566.88. “We are bouncing around with equities,” said Addison Armstrong, a director of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. “Crude oil is very much a follower and not trading on its own fundamentals.” Supplies of crude oil increased 2 million barrels last week, according to the median of 10 estimates from analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Prices will probably fall to $60 a barrel during the fourth quarter of the year, Adam Sieminski, the chief energy economist at Deutsche Bank AG in Washington, said on Bloomberg Television. “The second half of the year could be weak because inventories are high, demand is still relatively weak, there’s plenty of supply and lots of OPEC spare capacity.” Brent crude for April delivery rose 40 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $80.29 a barrel on the London based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Oil reached $80.92, the highest level since Jan. 11.

Reporter Mark Shenk can be contacted at mshenk1@bloomberg.net


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Phil Flynn: Trying to Keep Positive

You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and latch on to the affirmative, don't mess with Mister In Between. Oil tried to rally. It really did. It tried to ignore that pesky Mr. In Between, a place where it seems the market is most comfortable. Oil rallied even as the dollar soared and the British pound plunged. It tried to soar with the stock market and tried to worry about one Iranian oil official saying he would cut off oil supply to Europe. It tried to focus on the positive economic news and ignore the negative. Yet at some point the negative came in and the market realized that the day’s events just were not that bullish for oil.

Take Iranian deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who threatened to cut off Europe’s oil supply. He was probably cranky because he got his bank account frozen. Well that would be great because if they did cut off oil supply to Europe, that would be the equivalent of Iran putting economic sanctions on themselves. That would save a lot of time and effort thank you very much. In a world awash in spare production capacity and excess supply, would anyone really care for too long? The sell off in oil seems to suggest the oil market is saying, “Go ahead, make my day”.
The oil market tried to be positive about the consumer spending number which had a 0.5 percent increase in purchases and was better than expected but with the ISM manufacturing number falling to 56.5 in February and shy of expectations, did anyone actually increase their oil demand expectations?

Now add to that expectations by the surveys that we will see supply increase this week it was getting harder to keep that blindly bullish optimism going. Bloomberg News says that crude inventories probably increased for a fifth week as imports climbed. The Bloomberg News survey showed stockpiles rose 1.6 million barrels last week from 337.5 million, according to the median of eight estimates before an Energy Department report this week. Seven of the respondents forecast an increase and one estimated a decline. It would be the longest stretch of consecutive advances since May. Imports of crude oil increased 6.3 percent to 9.08 million barrels a day in the week ended Feb. 19, the highest level since October, according to last week’s report.

Now I think that crude supply could fall due to an increase in refinery runs. Last week we saw that refineries operated at 81.2 percent of capacity. That increase in runs could be the start of a bit of a trend and could give us a surprise draw in oil. As for the rest of the survey, Bloomberg says that it expects stockpiles of distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, probably fell 500,000 barrels from 152.7 million the prior week. As for gasoline, Bloomberg says that analysts were split over whether gasoline supplies increased or declined. Inventories probably rose 50,000 barrels from 231.2 million, the survey showed.
Oil and products continue to trade in well defined ranges.

There have been great daily opportunities. Trend traders are frustrated as the bulls or bears cannot score a decisive knock out. We still are predicting an eventually big break to the downside and the market’s inability to gain traction above $80 a barrel is making it harder for the bulls to make their case. Use this strength to put on bearish option plays or perhaps some iron condors. In the mean time call for specific trade entries for day trades and position trades at 800-935-6487 or email me at pflynn@pfgbest.com to open your account. And to get the best business news in the business make sure you are tuned into the Fox Business Network where you can see me every day.


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Crude Oil Rises for a Second Day on Increase in U.S. Manufacturing

Crude oil rose for a second day in New York after manufacturing in the U.S. increased at the fastest pace since August 2004, signaling that fuel use in the world’s biggest energy consuming country may gain.

Oil advanced the most in four weeks yesterday after the Institute for Supply Management’s factory index climbed to a higher than anticipated 58.4 in January, from December’s 54.9. European manufacturing also increased as companies raised output to meet reviving global demand, a separate report showed. Energy Department data tomorrow may show a drop in U.S. distillate fuel inventories.

“We can see that manufacturing is improving,” said Jonathan Barratt, managing director at Commodity Broking Services Pty in Sydney. “We now want to see that number backed up with good fundamentals in the inventory data.”

Crude oil for March delivery gained as much as $1.01, or 1.4 percent, to $75.44 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $74.83 at 11:59 a.m. Singapore time. Yesterday, the contract rose 2.1 percent to settle at $74.43, the biggest one day increase since Jan. 4.

The U.S. manufacturing figure exceeded the median forecast of 55.5 from 67 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Readings higher than 50 signal an expansion. Manufacturing accounts for about 12 percent of the economy.

European companies raised production in January as a global economic recovery spurred exports. An index of manufacturing in the 16 nation euro region climbed to 52.4 from 51.6 in December, London based Markit Economics said yesterday. Asian shares climbed, driving the MSCI Asia Pacific Index up the most in more than two weeks.....Read the entire article.

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Crude Oil Falls as Dollar Reaches Three Month High Against Euro

Crude oil fell for the first time in three days as the dollar strengthened against the euro, limiting the appeal of commodities as an alternative investment. Oil dropped as much as 2 percent as the dollar rose to a three month high against the European currency and U.S. equities declined. Futures are 12 percent below the year’s high of $82 a barrel reached Oct. 21. U.S. oil supplies are 6.4 percent above the five year average, the Energy Department said yesterday.

“The dollar’s stronger, and that’s for the most part the big thing here,” said Carl Larry, president of Oil Outlooks & Opinions LLC in Houston. Crude oil for January delivery fell 70 cents, or 1 percent, to $71.96 a barrel at 1:50 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, futures touched $71.21 a barrel. Oil has risen 61 percent this year. The dollar strengthened to $1.4329 per euro at 1:51 p.m. in New York from $1.4531 yesterday. Earlier it touched $1.4305, the highest since Sept. 7......Read the entire article.

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Crude Oil Fluctuates Amid Equity Gain, Ample U.S. Supplies

Crude oil fluctuated as equity gains indicated that the U.S. is pulling out of a recession amid ample fuel supplies in the world’s biggest energy using country. Oil is heading for a 4.6 percent increase this week, a second straight weekly advance, as the stock market climbed on data showing an expansion in U.S. housing starts and industrial capacity utilization.

The country’s supplies of crude oil, gasoline and distillate fuel are higher than average, according to the Energy Department. “This is a range bound market,” said Tom Bentz, a senior energy analyst at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures Inc. in New York. “There’s nothing at this moment that is giving it a direction”.....Read the entire article

Oil Falls for Second Day on Doubts Over Pace of Demand Recovery

Crude oil fell for a second day as higher U.S. fuel stockpiles raised concern gains in prices may have outpaced the recovery in the global economy. Oil slipped to its lowest in nearly a week before a report tomorrow in the U.S., the world’s largest energy consumer, which may show retail spending barely changed in August if gasoline and autos were excluded. The country’s stockpiles of distillate have climbed to their highest levels since 1983, according to Energy Department data last week. “Crude oil is just following weak fundamentals,” said Ken Hasegawa, a commodity derivative sales manager at broker Newedge in Tokyo. “If the price goes down below $68, then it’s possible to go down to $66”.....Read the entire story

Natural Gas Dips to Lowest Since March 2002 on Inventory Gain

Natural gas futures fell in New York to the lowest level since March 2002 after a government report showed stockpiles expanded more than average to a record for this time of year. Supplies rose 65 billion cubic feet in the week ended Aug. 28 to 3.323 trillion cubic feet, the Energy Department said. Inventories are the highest for that week since the department began publishing data in 1993. Stockpiles typically gained 64 billion cubic feet for the period in the past five years. “We’re well supplied and there’s so little demand,” said Michael Rose, director of trading at Angus Jackson Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Some people are starting to question the economic recovery and that adds more pressure to gas”.....Red the complete article

Refiners In China At Risk As The Government May Delay Price Hike

Crude oil price rebounds to 70.2 in European morning as strong China PMI eases demand worries. Trading will likely remain thin before NY session opens. The US government will report ISM manufacturing data today. After market close, the American Petroleum Institute will report its estimates on oil inventory last week and this will act a guideline in forecasting the figures by the US Energy Department. Stock markets in Europe drop. UK's FTSE 100 Index slides -1.4% to 4843 while Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 lose -1.6% and -1% respectively. UK's manufacturing PMI slipped to 49.7 in August after rising to 50.2 in the prior month. This disappointed the market as consensus forecast was a further gain to 51.5. In the Eurozone, unemployment rate rose to 9.5% in August from 9.4% a month ago. Although the reading came out as expected, it's indeed the highest level in 10 years, suggesting the 16 nation region' s job market remained weak.....Complete Story

Oil Falls a Second Day After Report Shows U.S. Supplies Rose

Crude oil fell for a second day after an industry report showed that inventories rose last week. Oil dropped as much as 1.7 percent after the American Petroleum Institute reported yesterday that oil supplies climbed 1.3 percent, the most since April, to 346.7 million barrels. The Energy Department will say in a report today that stockpiles fell 1.15 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts.“If we’re seeing actual builds in inventories, especially crude inventories, that might imply we’re seeing a bit of a rush to the market with new supply coming in,” said Brad Samples, a commodity analyst for Summit Energy Inc., an energy management company in Louisville, Kentucky.....Complete Story

Natural Gas Dives Below $3, 1st Time Since 2002, on Supply Glut

Natural gas futures fell below $3 per million British thermal units for the first time in more than seven years after a government report showed rising supplies of the industrial and power plant fuel. U.S. inventories of the fuel rose 52 billion cubic feet to 3.204 trillion in the week ended Aug. 14, the Energy Department said today in a weekly report. Supplies were 19 percent higher than the five year average. "We have such a storage overhang staring you in the face," said Cameron Horwitz, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Inc. in Houston. "There won’t be any sustainable upward momentum until you work through this storage problem".....Complete Story

Crude Oil Rises After Report Shows U.S. Fuel Demand Increase

Crude oil rose after a U.S. government report showed that fuel supplies dropped as consumption increased to the highest level since February. Fuel demand climbed 3.1 percent to 19.3 million barrels a day last week, the highest since the week ended Feb. 27, the Energy Department said today. Supplies of distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, fell 1.14 million barrels to 161.5 million. Gasoline stockpiles declined and crude oil inventories climbed. “The market is getting support from the demand number, particularly the increase in distillate demand,” said Gene McGillian, an analyst and broker at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.....Complete Story

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Oil Falls the Most in Three Months After Unexpected Supply Gain

Crude oil fell the most in three months after a government report showed an unexpected gain in U.S. inventories as imports jumped and refiners reduced operating rates. Stockpiles surged 5.15 million barrels to 347.8 million in the week ended July 24, the Energy Department said. It was the biggest weekly increase since April. Supplies were forecast to decline by 1.5 million barrels, according to the median of analyst estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. “The main problem with this market is the fact that there’s too much oil out there,” said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research, in Winchester, Massachusetts. “We may test $60 before the week is over as these numbers are absorbed".....Complete Story

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Crude Oil Declines a Second Day After Fuel Inventories Increase

Crude oil for September delivery declined a second day in New York as rising U.S. fuel inventories dampened optimism for a swift rebound in demand. Gasoline and distillate fuel inventories in the U.S. rose in the week to July 17, the sixth consecutive
increase, while crude supplies fell, according to an Energy Department report yesterday. Japan’s oil imports fell for an eighth month in June. “Demand is weak, and spare capacity is the largest it’s ever been,” said Eugen Weinberg, an analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt.....Complete Story

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Natural Gas Futures Surge After Report Shows Narrowing Surplus

Natural gas futures surged to their biggest gain in four months after a government report showed a narrowing U.S. stockpile surplus. An inventory increase of 90 billion cubic feet in the week ended July 10 sent supplies to 2.886 trillion cubic feet, the Energy Department said. The total was 18.7 percent higher than the five-year average, down from 19.3 percent in last week’s report and the fourth consecutive narrowing. “We’re seeing the impact of the rig count drops,” said Phil Flynn, vice president of research at PFG Best in Chicago.....Complete Story

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Oil Rises After Report Shows Bigger Than Forecast Supply Drop

Crude oil futures rose after a U.S. government report showed a bigger than forecast decline in inventories. Supplies fell 2.81 million barrels to 344.5 million in the week ended July 10, the Energy Department said today in a weekly report. Inventories were forecast to decline by 2.1 million barrels, according to the median of analyst estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Crude oil for August delivery rose $1.30, or 2.2 percent, to $60.82 a barrel at 10:36 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil traded at $60.81 a barrel before the release of the report at 10:30 a.m. in Washington.....Complete Story

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Oil Falls on Forecast of Increase in U.S. Fuel Inventories

Crude oil fell on speculation that a government report will show U.S. fuel inventories climbed as the recession curbed consumption. An Energy Department report tomorrow may show that gasoline stockpiles gained for a fifth week, according to a Bloomberg News survey. Prices rose earlier today as earnings from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. topped analysts’ estimates and a report showed that U.S. retail sales grew. “Prices were up earlier but just couldn’t hold on,” said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch & Associates, a Galena, Illinois, energy consultant.....Complete Story

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Natural Gas Falls as Supply Glut and Recession Weigh on Market

Natural gas futures fell in New York for the eighth day out of nine as bulging supplies of the power plant and industrial fuel weigh on the market. The Energy Department said yesterday that inventories of the fuel swelled 75 billion cubic feet to 2.796 trillion cubic feet last week, 19 percent higher than the five-year average for this time of year. “The weak fundamentals are dominating,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, vice president for energy at MF Global Ltd.....Complete Story

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Crude Oil Is Little Changed After Falling on Weak Fuel Demand

Crude oil traded little changed after falling in the past two days, as demand for gasoline and diesel in the U.S. remained weak during the recession. Fuel demand in the world’s largest energy user in the four weeks ended June 26 fell 5.8 percent from a year earlier, according to a Department of Energy report yesterday. Demand for distillate fuel including heating oil and diesel fell 9.4 percent to 3.4 million barrels a day during the period.....Complete Story

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Oil Rises Before Report Forecast to Show U.S. Supplies Shrank

Oil advanced before the release of a report predicted to show that U.S. crude supplies contracted for a fourth week, stoking optimism that fuel demand will recover as the recession abates. The Energy Department will probably report today that crude oil stockpiles dropped 2 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey. Yesterday the industry funded American Petroleum Institute said crude supplies fell by 6.8 million barrels.....Complete Story

Not Mixing with Rest of Economy, Oil Floats Higher

"Crude Oil Caps Biggest Monthly Gain Since 1999 on Dollar Drop"
Crude oil rose, capping its biggest monthly gain in a decade, as the dollar weakened against the euro, bolstering the appeal of commodities. Oil climbed above $66 a barrel to a six-month high as the dollar weakened beyond $1.41 against the euro for the first time this year, making raw materials such as oil and gold an attractive alternative investment. Prices also gained as U.S., and Asian indicators pointed to a global economic recovery. “The devaluation of the dollar is leading to the revaluation of energy and commodities.....Complete Story

"Not Mixing with Rest of Economy, Oil Floats Higher"
The price of crude oil once again seems to be defying the economic forces of gravity.
There's plenty of evidence to suggest prices should be falling. In industrialized countries, storage tanks are overflowing, with enough supplies to cover 62 days of use, about 10 days more than usual. Economic weakness continues to depress world demand, which is on track to fall for the second consecutive year. And oil producing countries, while restraining output, are adding to production capacity. New Saudi Arabian wells coming on line this year will exceed the entire production capacity of Texas.....Complete Story

"Gasoline Futures May Rally as High as $2.20: Technical Analysis"
Gasoline futures could reach $2.20 this summer if the July-delivery contract clears $1.90 next week, according to technical analysis by Infinitytrading.com. The July contract, which becomes the front-month contract June 1, is poised to close above $1.902 a gallon next week, which represents the upper Bollinger band, said Fain Shaffer, president of Infinitytrading.com, a commodities brokerage in Medford, Oregon. The next objective is $2.0414, Shaffer said. Once above $2.0414, the next resistance level would be $2.1981 a gallon, the 200 period moving average on a monthly chart.....Complete Story