Energy Continues Basing Setup - Next Breakout Expected Near January 24th

After watching crude oil fall from the $65 ppb level to the $58 ppb level (-10.7%) over the past few weeks, we still believe the energy sector is setting up for another great trade for skilled investors/traders.

We are all keenly aware that winter is still here and that heating oil demands may continue to push certain energy prices higher. Yet winter is also a time when people don’t travel as much and, overall, energy prices tend to weaken throughout Winter.

Over the past 37 years, the historical monthly breakdown for crude oil is as follows....

December: Generally lower by -$0.33 to -$0.86. Averages to the downside: -3.65 to +3.08
January: Generally lower by -$4.57 to -$6.72. Averages to the downside: -2.68 to +2.27
February: Generally higher by +$8.41 to +13.73. Averages to the upside +3.07 to -2.54
March: Generally higher by +7.33 to +$15.62. Averages to the upside by +2.84 to -2.14

Over the past 25 years, the historical monthly breakdown for natural gas is as follows....

December: Generally lower by -$2.34 to -$5.26. Averages to the downside: -0.81 to +0.69
January: Generally lower by -$5.14 to -$7.97. Averages to the downside: -0.69 to +0.45
February: Generally lower by -$1.48 to -$3.62. Averages to the downside -0.50 to +0.49
March: Generally higher by +0.63 to +$1.88. Averages to the upside by +0.41 to -0.70

Over the past 35 years, the historical monthly breakdown for heating oil is as follows....

December: Generally lower by -$0.16 to -$0.37. Averages to the downside: -0.14 to +0.09
January: Generally lower by -$0.52 to -$0.96. Averages to the downside: -0.09 to +0.10
February: Generally higher by +$0.48 to +$1.06. Averages to the upside +0.11 to -0.08
March: Generally higher by +0.03 to +$0.11. Averages to the upside by +0.09 to -0.10

This data suggests an extended winter in the U.S. may prompt further contraction in certain segments of the energy sector that may prompt an exaggerated downside price move in crude oil and natural gas. heating oil may rise a bit if the cold weather continues well past March/April 2019.

Conversely, if an early spring sets up in the U.S., then crude oil may begin to base a bit as people begin to traveling more, but heating oil and natural gas may decline as cold weather demands abate.

Heating oil has almost mirrored crude oil in price action recently. Our modeling systems are suggesting that crude oil may attempt to move below $40 ppb. This move would be a result of a number of factors – mostly slowing global demand and a shift to electric vehicles. We authored this research post early in January 2020 – please review it.

January 8, 2020: Is The Energy Sector Setting Up Another Great Entry?

We believe any price level below $40 in ERY is setting up for a very strong basing level going forward. We have identified two “pullback zones”. The first is what we call the “Deep Pullback Zone”. The second is what we call the “Deeper Pullback Zone”. Any upside price move from below $40 to recent upside target levels (above $50) would represent a 25%+ price rotation.

Historically, February is a very strong month for ERY. The data going back over the past 12 years suggests February produces substantially higher upside price gains (+1899.30 to -394.28) – translating into a 4.8:1 upside price ratio over 12 years. Both January and March reflect overall price weakness in ERY over the past 12 years. Thus, the real opportunity is the setup of the “February price advance”.

We believe any opportunity to take advantage of this historical technical price pattern is advantageous for skilled traders/investors.

This is a pure technical pattern based on price bar data mining. This is something you may not have ever considered unless you had the tools to search for historical price anomalies and rotation patterns. We have created a suite of tools and price modeling systems we use to help our members find incredible opportunities – this being one of them.

Get ready, February will likely prompt a very nice rally in ERY if historical price triggers confirm future price activity. The price pattern in February suggests a large upside price move is likely in ERY and we believe these low price basing patterns are an excellent opportunity for skilled traders.

Join my Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen
The Technical Traders

Weekly Energy Futures Recap with Mike Seery

Another week of trading under our belts and that means it's time to check in with Michael Seery of Seery Futures.com to give our readers a weekly recap of the Futures market. Seery has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets.....

The energy futures were higher across the board but off of session highs as the stock market is near session lows pushing several of the commodity markets lower for the trading session while crude oil finished up $1.10 at 97.85 a barrel still trading right near recent highs of the trading range but I’m becoming more bearish this sector because the longer prices stay up at these levels without moving higher improves the odd that a top might be in place.

The chart structure in crude oil is excellent at this point in time while it generally follows the S&P 500 due to the fact that the higher the stock market goes the higher the demand for gasoline in theory, however higher interest rates might be here to stay as the Federal Reserve might be running out of bullets to continue to prop up the economy. Heating oil futures for the July contract are breaking out of a 10 week consolidation moving above major resistance at 2.95 a gallon settling at 2.96 a gallon and I’m still somewhat pessimistic about heating oil as we enter the summer months demand should start to slow.

Unleaded gasoline futures which I’ve written about in many blogs and I stated that I was bullish during with the demand season which improving chart structure with prices still around 2.8950 a gallon hitting a 3 month high, however I am generally a trend follower but I still believe that crude oil is getting very toppy up at these levels and there could be a steep decline in the next couple weeks with many of the other commodity sectors across the board including the stock market which has been in a bullish run for 4 years.

The reason commodity prices are headed lower isn’t because the dollar is headed lower which generally is a bullish fundamental factor but the fact that interest rates continue to climb on a daily basis spooking investors thinking that the free money is finally ending which is a pessimistic indicator towards many commodities including the oil sector which has not been affected at this point but in my opinion could be very soon.

Trend: Higher
Chart Structure: Excellant


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It's a Wrap....Energy Futures End The Week Down

Make sure you understand the simple truth about trends.

The energy futures are down once again today and trading right near the lows of the trading week with crude oil down another $1.35 this Friday morning due to more pessimism about the European debt situation causing prices to be down around $5 dollars for the trading week from last Fridays closing price of 96.50 down around 4% for the week while unleaded gasoline for the June contract is higher by 150 points currently trading at 2.90 a gallon in a quiet trade so far in New York.

Heating oil futures are down slightly currently trading at 2.84 a gallon also sliding for the week around 1200 points from last Fridays close of 2.96 a gallon and in our opinion, like we have been stating in previous blogs, if you look back at 2010 when this problem came up for the first time crude oil prices plummeted on that news and then rebounded later in the year so prices are still relatively high if the situation gets worse but only time will tell.

Natural gas futures are sharply higher once again today up another 14 points in the June contract to seven week highs at 2.74 with renewed optimism that demand will come back into this market with the next major level of resistance around 2.90.

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Run Your Own Profitable Oil Refinery By Hedging 3 ETFs

From guest blogger Richard Bloch.....

Want to profit from high oil refining margins? You can almost run your own oil refinery, hedging your output through three ETFs that track crude oil, heating oil, and gasoline. At a very basic level, refining oil is easy to understand. You buy crude oil and refine it into various products. If you sell those products for more than the cost of the crude oil, you make a profit.

Although there are many nuances to this business - different grades of oil, seasonal demand patterns, and dozens of different refined products each with their own price - there's a simple way to approximate the profit margin for refining oil. It's called the "crack spread," which gets its name from the refining process itself because you "crack" complex crude hydrocarbon molecules into usable products.

There are several versions of this spread. One popular spread is called the 3:2:1 crack spread. Here's how it works. Three barrels of WTI crude oil yield one barrel of heating oil and two barrels of gasoline. But the easy way of calculating it is to divide by three. Assume that one barrel of crude oil (42 gallons) yields one-third of a barrel of heating oil (14 gallons) and two-thirds of a barrel of gasoline (28 gallons) as shown here:

Calculating the spread

Here how this 3:2:1 crack spread was priced as of Friday, February 3

WTI Crude oil: $97.84 per barrel

Heating oil: 3.114 per gallon x 14 gallons = $43.59

Gasoline: 2.914 per gallon x 28 gallons = $81.59

Total heating oil and gasoline revenues: $43.59 + $81.59 = $125.18

Less cost of crude oil: $97.84

NET PROFIT = $27.34

Is that a lot? Let's take a look at that spread over the past 18 months.

Yeah, that seems like a lot, but it's certainly not as much as it was in September.

Three ETFs to profit from the crack spread

When the spread is going up, you'd do well to be buying gasoline and heating oil, while simultaneously selling crude oil.

You can do this through trading three ETFs in the 3:2:1 ratio outlined above. These include

• US Heating Oil Fund (UHN)
• US Gasoline Fund (UGA)
• US Oil Fund (USO)

These ETFs hold nearby futures contracts, so if you think the spread is going to go up, you might go long the spread with the following trade:

Long the crack spread

• Buy $10,000 of UHN
• Buy $20,000 of UGA
• Sell $30,000 of USO

I would adjust this position monthly to maintain that 3:2:1 ratio.

If you think the spread is going down instead -- as it did in September last year, you'd benefit from shorting the spread with the opposite trade:

Short the crack spread

• Sell $10,000 of UHN
• Sell $20,000 of UGA
• Buy $30,000 of USO

Riding the crack spread for fun and profit

How would this approach have performed over the past year? Well we can certainly assume that none of us can pick an exact top or bottom. So let's look at the spread chart again and make some assumptions about where going long or short this spread might have made sense based on trends at the time.

On February 1, 2011 you note the spread is rising, so you buy $10,000 of UHN and $20,000 of UGA while shorting $30,000 of USO. You'd treat each month as a separate trade so you can maintain the 3:2:1 ratio.

On October 3, the spread is appears to be declining. Now you short the crack spread by buying crude oil and selling heating oil and gasoline, once again resetting your position each month to stay within the 3:2:1 ratio.

Finally, on January 3, 2012, you switch and go long the spread once again, closing position on February 1.

This table shows the results for each month's trade, the profit of each position, and the net results.

The months highlighted in yellow were trades for being long the spread. The ones in purple are months trading the spread from the short side.

Here's a chart showing the net profit of your positions throughout the year.

No it's not perfect, but when the spread is trending, you can make a fairly decent gain. The profits really rose as the spread switched direction in October.

If you prefer, you might be able to use options for the USO part of your spread. These options are fairly liquid, but there are no options for UHN, and UGA options are too thinly traded to be of much use.

You don't need to be in the oil business to capitalize on the crack spread. Easy? Well no, nothing in the oil market is easy, but this could be a pretty reliable ongoing trade if you follow the trend.

Disclosure:  Richard Bloch has no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

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EIA: U.S. Refineries and Blenders Produced Record Amounts of Distillate Fuels

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Petroleum Status Report.
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U.S. refiners produced historically high volumes of distillate fuels (a category that includes both diesel fuel and heating oil) and motor gasoline in 2011. By fine-tuning their production mix, refineries consistently set record levels of distillate production, most recently topping 5 million barrels per day (bbl/d) for the weeks ending December 2 and December 16, 2011.

In 2011, weekly distillate production was above the five-year historical range 25 times, and ranked second highest an additional 19 times. Finished motor gasoline production was robust over the same period, but was slightly more in line with production volumes at comparable times of year since 2006.

Because of its chemical composition, crude oil run through a refinery typically yields roughly twice as much motor gasoline as distillate fuels. Therefore, regardless of economic or other incentives, refiners cannot completely stop making some finished petroleum products in favor of others. However, by adjusting downstream processes and the types of crude oil used, refineries can optimize production to fine-tune the balance of their finished products output. For much of 2011, refiners saw favorable margins and robust global demand for distillate fuels. In order to benefit from these trends, refineries:

• Increased crude runs to maximize overall output. This explains why both motor gasoline and distillate fuels production levels are high relative to the five-year historical ranges.
• Shifted production mix. This explains why the distillate fuels production levels exceeded historical ranges in more weeks than motor gasoline production did.
• 
  

Since early October, the spot price for ultra-low-sulfur distillate fuel oil rose, while the spot price for motor gasoline (as measured by New York RBOB spot prices in the chart below) declined, widening the spread between these two petroleum product prices. On November 14, 2011, the spot price for ultra-low-sulfur distillate was nearly 65 cents per gallon higher than the spot price for RBOB. The spread between these product prices had not been more than 60 cents per gallon since November 2008.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on Bloomberg.

Note: Ultra low sulfur distillate spot prices shown as New York ultra low sulfur distillate spot prices; motor gasoline prices reflect New York RBOB spot prices.

Along with high domestic prices, strong international markets for distillate fuel oils have spurred increased production. In the United States, refineries have typically optimized production for finished motor gasoline to meet high U.S. demand. European refineries, on the other hand, tend to produce higher percentages of distillate fuel oils, as diesel is used more broadly there for transportation.

 Due to crude supply disruptions to European refineries for much of this year, the region has imported more finished products. Weekly U.S. gross distillate export estimates (bound primarily for European and South American markets) were at record levels in the fourth quarter of 2011, topping more than 0.9 million bbl/d in October and November, and exceeding 1 million bbl/d in December.

Robust global distillate demand has led to a significant inventory draw, despite heightened U.S. production. From the end of September to the end of December, U.S. distillate inventories fell by more than 13 million barrels.

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Rigzone: Crude Slides 2.1% On European Debt Worries

Crude oil futures fell 2.1% to near $98 a barrel Thursday, posting the biggest decline in three weeks on continued worries about Europe's sovereign debt.

Prices had posted early gains, approaching $102 a barrel, after a larger than expected drop in new claims for U.S. jobless benefits. The Labor Department said benefits filings in the week ended Dec. 3 fell by 23,000 and were at the lowest level in nine months. Economists had expected a 7,000 decline in the week.

But the weight of concerns, as European leaders begin a two day summit meeting, hit equities price and crude tumbled. Oil, like all global markets, has been gripped by concerns in recent months that the crisis in European could trigger a global economic slowdown.

Those concerns were especially evident in the heating oil futures market Thursday, traders said, as prices fell to their lowest level since Nov. 25 on fears of a potential slowdown in U.S. exports of related diesel fuel. Latest U.S. government data show that 42% of record high exports of distillate fuel (diesel/heating oil) in September were bound for Europe.....Read the entire article.


Gold’s 4th Wave Consolidation Nears Completion and Breakout

Beyond Natural Gas and Electricity.... More Than 10% of U.S. Homes Use Heating Oil or Propane

 While almost 85% of households in the United States heat with natural gas or electricity, more than 10% rely on heating oil or propane, according to the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey. The shares of heating oil and propane are likely to remain small but significant in the U.S. residential heating mix. These fuels serve distinct populations—heating oil primarily serves households in the Northeast, while propane serves households in rural areas across the country.

Over 80% of homes that rely on heating oil for space heating are located in the Northeast. Also, heating oil is most commonly used in older homes, as about one-half of all homes that currently use heating oil were built before 1950. Generally, homes built since 1980 are not heated with heating oil, except in the Northeast. The survey data show that heating oil equipment is older than average but more likely to be regularly maintained than other types of heating equipment, providing some potential efficiency benefits.

Propane space heating has broader geographic distribution than heating oil, heating between 3% and 8% of households in every region. Across the country, propane use is most common in rural areas and mobile homes. About 83% of households with propane heating are located in rural areas that are typically beyond the reach of the natural gas distribution infrastructure. In the Midwest, the rural share is greater than 90%. Additionally, those living in mobile homes are twice as likely to heat with propane as those in other housing unit types. Propane is becoming more common in the Northeast; of homes built in this region between 2000 and 2009, equal amounts are heated with propane and heating oil.

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Posted courtesy of The EIA

Commodity Corner: Crude Oil Tumbles on Lingering Debt Concerns

Light, sweet crude futures fell Tuesday as concern over the European debt crisis resurfaced after the euro plummeted to its lowest level in 10 weeks. Led by declines in heating oil and gasoline futures [which expired at close] and crude oil tumbled more than a dollar a barrel in the last half hour of Tuesday's trading session. Oil prices for January delivery settled at $84.11 a barrel, 1.9 percent lower than Monday.

Fear lingers as investors worry that other countries, such as Spain, Portugal, or Italy, might also need financial assistance after Ireland’s massive bailout package earlier this week. The euro lost 0.9 percent Tuesday, hitting a two month low against the dollar. The greenback rose 0.5 percent on the U.S. dollar index, which gauges the dollar to an array of six other currencies. As the dollar strengthens, crude becomes more expensive for foreign buyers and dollar denominated commodities lose their appeal.

The intraday range for crude futures was $83.55 to $85.90 Tuesday. Front month December gasoline settled nearly two cents lower at $2.26 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The December contract for gasoline expired at Tuesday's settlement. In spite of the global economic crisis, gasoline gained 6.3 percent this month the largest since September. Gasoline fluctuated between $2.23 and $2.28 Tuesday.

Natural gas futures also tumbled Tuesday, as stockpiles exceeded expectations of an increase in heating demand due to the forecasted colder than normal temperatures. Although natural gas prices typically correlate with heating demand in the winter, analysts predict that the surplus in supplies has limited rallies; however, they remain uncertain about long term predictions. January Natural gas traded lower for the second consecutive session at $4.18 per thousand cubic feet. It peaked at $4.25 and bottomed out at $4.13 Tuesday.

Posted courtesy of Rigzone.Com

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Crude Oil Falls Ahead Of Fed Minutes

Crude futures fell Tuesday as investors grew nervous ahead of the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve that could offer clues on the central bank's plans to stimulate the economy. Light, sweet crude for November delivery recently traded 74 cents, or 0.9%, lower at $81.47 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange traded 56 cents lower at $83.16 a barrel. The minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee's Sept. 21 meeting, due for release at 2 p.m. EDT, will be closely watched for any signals on how the central bank may restart a Treasury buying program, known as quantitative easing, in an effort to revive the slowing economic recovery.

But after a rally above $84 a barrel last week, oil traders are wary about how the central bank will decide to act, and how it will influence oil and the financial markets that crude has closely followed in recent months. "We've put this quantitative easing premium in the marketplace, and now people are a little worried about the size of it," said Phil Flynn, an analyst with PFG Best, which tracks the market. He said traders are selling to lock in profits.

The euro is also falling against the dollar, and was recently down 0.3% to $1.3828. A weaker dollar makes oil cheaper for buyers in other currencies, and its recent decline to 8 month lows against the euro has been a primary factor in crude's most recent surge. Equities markets are also trading lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average recently down 55 points to 10954. "Another day, another dollar," said Gene McGillian, a broker and analyst with Tradition Energy, summing up the motivation for crude's price move.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries on Tuesday revised up its forecast for global oil demand growth this year, encouraged by stimulus-led economic growth in the first half of 2010. OPEC upgraded its forecast for world oil demand growth by 100,000 barrels a day to 1.13 million barrels a day, and its non OPEC supply forecast for 2010 was also increased by 100,000 barrels a day to 1.01 million barrels a day. OPEC is expected to keep quotas unchanged when the group meets Thursday, though some member countries have said prices should move higher due to the weakening dollar.

Despite U.S. inventories of oil and fuel products that hit 27 year highs last month, economic data and moves in the dollar have trumped worries about oil supply and demand. U.S. crude oil stocks are expected to rise in a report due Thursday from the Department of Energy, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey of analysts. Crude stocks are seen increasing by 1.2 million barrels, according to data covering the week ended Oct. 8.

Meanwhile, France was hit by a nationwide strike against pension reform, and the industrial dispute that has closed the Fos-Lavera oil terminal, the world's third largest oil port, entered its 16th day. The Marseille port authority said 85 ships have been affected, of which 56 are oil tankers. Front month November reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, recently traded 3.41 cents, or 1.6%, lower at $2.1314 a gallon. November heating oil recently traded 1.97 cents lower at $2.2593 a gallon.

Courtesy of Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswire


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Your Closing Numbers.....Oil, Natural Gas, Heating Oil and Gasoline

Crude oil closed up $2.88 at $77.31 a barrel today. Prices closed near the session high today and hit a fresh two week high on more short covering and fresh speculative buying interest following recent bullish U.S. economic data and cold weather gripping much of the U.S. A steep three week old downtrend on the daily bar chart was negated today. Bulls gained fresh upside near term technical momentum today as it now looks like a big double bottom reversal pattern has formed on the daily bar chart.

Heating oil closed up 804 points at $2.0353 today. Prices closed near the session high again today on more short covering and fresh speculative buying. The bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $2.1500.

Unleaded gasoline (RBOB) closed up 888 points at $2.0209 today. Prices closed near the session high on short covering and fresh speculative buying. A steep three week old downtrend on the daily bar chart was negated today.

Natural gas closed up 3.1 cents at $5.464 today. Prices closed near mid range today and were supported on more short covering in a bear market and some cold weather in the U.S. forecast. Bears still have the overall near term technical advantage. The next upside price objective for the bulls is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $5.80.

The U.S. dollar index closed down 24 points at 79.18 today. Prices closed near the session low on more profit taking. No chart damage has occurred. Bulls still have some upside near term technical momentum.

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Commodities Changed Little Despite Volatile Trading

Commodities move with great volatility but ended up with little changes Thursday. The benchmark contract for crude oil plunged to as low as 72.93 before recovering to 73.64, compare with Wednesday's close at 73.67. While heating oil price also closed almost flat gasoline slid -1.1% to 19.174 as higher than expect jobless claims data implied weaker gasoline consumption.

Initial jobless claims reduced to 470K in the week ended January 23, compared with an expected drop to 452K, from 482K a week ago. The 4 week average increased +10K to 456K while continuing claims dipped -57K to 4602K, the lowest level in a year. We believe the overall trend continues to suggest improvement in the job market, though at a pace slower than previously anticipated.

Headline of durable goods orders disappointed the market by recording only +0.3% mom in December after dropping -0.4% a month ago. However, the reading with transportations excluded showed a +0.9% increase on monthly basis. November's reading was also revised up slightly to +2.1%.

Strength in USD and JPY indicated investors gave up higher-yield investment and sought safe assets yesterday. This was probably a major reason for the softness in commodity prices. The euro slumped against the dollar and the yen as investors doubted if Greece can reduce its huge deficit without the help from outside. The 16 nationed single currency fell to a 6 month low against USD on concerns that the Greek problem will spread to other high deficit economies in Europe.....Read the entire article.

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Crude Oil Bulls Gain Fresh Near Term Momentum

Crude oil closed up $2.10 at $76.50 a barrel today. Prices closed nearer the session high and hit a fresh two week high today. Crude was supported by a weaker U.S. dollar and firmer U.S. stock index prices today. Bulls today gained fresh upside near term technical momentum.

Natural gas closed up 11.7 cents at $5.889 today. Prices closed near the session high and closed at a fresh two month high close today. Bulls have gained upside near term technical momentum recently. Prices are in a steep three week old uptrend on the daily bar chart.

Heating oil closed up 570 points at $2.0270 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and scored a fresh two week high. Bulls gained some fresh upside near term technical momentum today. The bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $2.1000.

Unleaded gasoline (RBOB) closed up 644 points at $1.9770 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and hit a fresh two week high. Bulls gained some fresh upside technical momentum today. The next upside price objective for the bulls is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $2.0500.

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Oil Falls Below $70 on Stronger Dollar, Ample U.S. Supplies

Crude oil fell below $70 a barrel for the first time in two months as the dollar gained and ample U.S. fuel supplies undermined confidence demand is recovering. Prices have dropped 11 percent in seven days, the longest losing stretch since September 2006, as gasoline supplies climbed to the highest level since April and a stronger dollar curbed investor appetite for commodities. “Prices are still quite high given the fundamentals of the market,” said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research in Winchester, Massachusetts. “We may see a lot of positions cashed in between now and the end of the year. This may lead prices to $60 or even lower.”

Crude oil for January delivery fell 62 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $70.05 a barrel at 1:16 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures touched $69.81, the lowest since Oct. 8. Prices are up 57 percent this year. Gasoline for January delivery dipped 2.83 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $1.829 a gallon in New York. The contract touched $1.824, the lowest since Oct. 13. Heating oil for January delivery fell 1.04 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $1.8989 a gallon. The dollar traded at $1.4695 per euro, up 0.2 percent from $1.4726 yesterday.

Gasoline stockpiles climbed 2.25 million barrels to 216.3 million last week, the highest since the week ended April 17, an Energy Department report showed yesterday. Supplies of distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, increased 1.62 million barrels to 167.3 million.....Read the entire article.


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Oil Gains as Dollar Strengthens, Fuel Supplies Forecast to Drop

Crude oil rose in New York as the dollar climbed and before a report that will probably show that U.S. fuel supplies declined. Oil rebounded after slipping as much as 1 percent as the U.S. currency rose against the euro for the first time in three days. An Energy Department report tomorrow will probably show that supplies of gasoline and distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, declined last week, according to a Bloomberg News survey.

“Everything we have been seeing can be pegged to what’s happening in the equities and the dollar,” said Gene McGillian, an analyst and broker at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. Attention is now shifting to the weekly supply reports, he said.
Crude oil for December delivery rose 31 cents to $79.21 a barrel at 12:24 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange after dropping as low as $78.14. Prices are up 78 percent this year.....Read the entire post.

Crude Oil Futures May Decline on Ample Stockpiles, Survey Shows

Crude oil futures may fall next week on speculation that U.S. inventories are sufficient to meet weakening demand. Eighteen of 36 analysts, or 50 percent, said oil will drop through Oct. 30. Twelve respondents, or 33 percent, forecast that the market will rise and six said prices will be little changed. Last week, analysts were split over whether prices would rise or fall.

“There is significant downside risk for crude oil,” said Tim Evans, an energy analyst with Citi Futures Perspective in New York. “Inventories remain high and demand is still weak.” Crude oil stockpiles rose 1.31 million barrels to 339.1 million last week, the U.S. Energy Department said in a report Oct. 21. The gain left inventories 9.4 percent above the five year average for the period. Supplies of distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, were 30 percent higher than average, the department said.....Read the entire article.

Oil Closes Near Session High, Hits New Seven Week High

Crude oil closed up $1.05 at $75.20 a barrel today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and hit a fresh seven week high. A lower U.S. dollar boosted crude oil again today. Crude bulls have the solid overall near term technical advantage. Prices are in a three week old uptrend on the daily bar chart.

Natural gas closed down 14.2 cents at $4.446 today. Prices again closed nearer the session low today. Bulls faded again today and need to show fresh power soon. The next upside price objective for the bulls is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the August high of $5.133.

Heating oil closed up 192 points at $1.9426 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and hit another fresh six week high. Bulls have the near term technical advantage.

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Unleaded gasoline (RBOB) closed up 266 points at $1.8584 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and hit a fresh four week high. Bulls have the near term technical advantage. The next upside price objective for the bulls is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the September high of $1.8736.

The U.S. dollar index closed down 54 points at 75.63 today. Prices closed nearer the session low today and hit another fresh contract low. Same story: Bears still have the solid overall near term technical advantage. Bulls' next upside price objective is to close prices above solid technical resistance at 78.00.

Phil Flynn: Global Warming Takes a Holiday!

Get the ear muffs out. Oil bears gets frosted as cold temperatures give the energy complex a Columbus Day boost. Global warming takes a holiday as heaters across the country seemed to go on much earlier than usual. Stunning records for cold were set across the nation increasing the demand for heating fuels over the weekend. The Chicago Marathon, according to the Chicago Tribune, had its coldest start since a 33 degree low in 2002 which they say was a far cry from 2007 when temperatures soared into the upper 80s and officials canceled the marathon after 3 1/2 hours into the event. In Denver it was reported that an artic cold front moved in and broke a cold temperature record that stood for 104 years.

In fact on Friday, Denver saw temperatures plunge 23 degrees in five hours setting the stage to make that record low. There were record lows in many parts of the country like Wyoming, Utah, Illinois and Iowa and if records were not broken in many areas it was extremely close. The early blast of winter is giving oil a bit of a boost on this lightly traded holiday market. It kind of makes you wonder what happened to global warming. In fact that is what the BBC is wondering in an article titled, "Whatever happened to Global Warming?" The BBC said, “This headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might that fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in.....Read the entire article.

Crude Oil Price Reacted Mildly Positive to Less Than Expected Distiallte Stock Gain

Crude oil inventory rose +2.8 mmb, compared with consensus of +2 mmb increase, to 338.4 mmb in the week ended September 29. The good thing is Cushing stock recorded significant drop of -1.5 mmb. Situation in oil product stockpiles was better than previously anticipated. Gasoline inventory drew -1.66 mmb while distillate inventory gained only +0.32 mmb. Both readings beat market expectations.

WTI crude oil price changes little after the report, only edging slightly higher to 67.5 from 66.5 before the release. Investors probably need to gauge the implications of a higher crude build with lower distillate build. Heating oil bounces to 1.71 while RBOB gasoline rises to 1.65 after the report. Lack of positive response from investors was also driven by disappointing US employment data and Chicago PMI. ADP reported -254K decline in employment in September following a -277K drop in the prior month. The market had expected.....Read the entire article

Oil Falls for 2nd Day as Refiners Idle Units, Fuel Supply Gains

Crude oil fell for a second day as refineries idle units for maintenance and on speculation that U.S. fuel stockpiles will climb as consumption declines.

U.S. refiners perform repairs and upgrades in September and October as gasoline demand falls and before heating oil use rises. U.S. supplies of distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, climbed to their highest level since 1983, an Energy Department report showed last week.

“The fundamentals for oil are bearish,” said Stephen Schork, president of consultant Schork Group Inc. in Villanova, Pennsylvania. “The driving season is over, heating oil demand has yet to pick up and refineries are going into turnarounds, which means a lot of demand for crude oil will be offline. If there is a correction, it’s going to happen now”.....Read the entire article

Oil Prices Set to Fall

Crude oil prices are set for a dramatic downturn as huge stockpiles of fuels and heating oil accumulate in U.S. storage facilities, analysts say. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is prepared for drastic declines in crude prices as suppressed demand translates to a buildup of oil based fuel reserves. "Inventories are at just ridiculously high levels," says Kevin Rooney, chief executive at the Oil Heat Institute of Long Island trade group. "I would imagine that just about every available barrel of storage is full".....Complete Story

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