April WTI crude oil (CLJ26) today is down -0.55 (-0.74%), and April RBOB gasoline (RBJ26) is up +0.0172 (+0.70%).
Crude oil and gasoline prices are mixed today, with gasoline posting a 19.5-month high. Energy prices have been volatile today, whipsawed by headlines. Crude prices initially tumbled today on a NY Times report that said Iranian operatives made an offer to the US to discuss terms for ending the conflict. However, prices shot higher after Iran denied the report. Crude prices then fell back on a bearish weekly EIA inventory report.
Crude has some negative carryover from Tuesday, when President Trump said the US will ensure the free flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz with insurance guarantees and even naval escorts.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is bullish for energy prices. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that “we will set fire to any ship attempting to pass through” the strait, which runs along Iran’s coast and handles a fifth of the world’s oil. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, to shut down oil production at its largest oil fields in Rumalia as storage tanks fill up. Also, Kayrros reported today that four of six tanks at Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery were full, and the Ju’aymah terminal on the country’s east coast is quickly running out of spare capacity. Goldman Sachs estimates the real-time risk premium for crude oil at $18/bbl, corresponding to its estimate of the impact of a six-week full halt to tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Also, damage from an intercepted Iranian drone caused a major fire on Tuesday at the United Arab Emirates’ major oil-trading hub, Fujairah, one of the largest oil storage centers in the Middle East. In addition, Iranian drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut down its Ras Taura refinery, the country’s largest, which refines 550,000 bpd of crude oil.
In a bearish factor for crude, OPEC+ on Sunday said it will boost its crude output by 206,000 bpd in April, above estimates of 137,000 bpd. OPEC+ is trying to restore all of the 2.2 million bpd production cut it made in early 2024, but still has nearly another 1.0 million bpd left to restore. OPEC’s January crude production fell by -230,000 bpd to a 5-month low of 28.83 million bpd.
Mounting crude supplies in floating storage are a bearish factor for oil prices. According to Vortexa data, about 290 million bbl of Russian and Iranian crude are currently in floating storage on tankers, more than 50% higher than a year ago, due to blockades and sanctions on Russian and Iranian crude. Vortexa reported Monday that crude oil stored on tankers that have been stationary for at least 7 days rose by +20% w/w to 105.48 million bbl in the week ended February 27.
An increase in crude exports from Venezuela is also boosting global oil supplies and is bearish for prices. Reuters reported on February 9 that Venezuelan crude exports rose to 800,000 bpd in January from 498,000 bpd in December.
On February 10, the EIA raised its 2026 US crude production estimate to 13.60 million bpd from 13.59 million bpd last month, and raised its US 2026 energy consumption estimate to 96.00 (quadrillion btu) from 95.37 last month. The IEA last month cut its 2026 global crude surplus estimate to 3.7 million bpd from last month’s estimate of 3.815 million bpd.
The most recent US-brokered meeting in Geneva to end the war between Russia and Ukraine ended early as Ukrainian President Zelenskiy accused Russia of dragging out the war. Russia has said the “territorial issue” remains unresolved with Ukraine, and there’s “no hope of achieving a long-term settlement” to the war until Russia’s demand for territory in Ukraine is accepted. The outlook for the Russia-Ukraine war to continue will keep restrictions on Russian crude in place and is bullish for oil prices.
Ukrainian drone and missile attacks have targeted at least 28 Russian refineries over the past seven months, limiting Russia’s crude oil export capabilities and reducing global oil supplies. Also, since the end of November, Ukraine has ramped up attacks on Russian tankers, with at least six tankers attacked by drones and missiles in the Baltic Sea. In addition, new US and EU sanctions on Russian oil companies, infrastructure, and tankers have curbed Russian oil exports.
Today’s weekly EIA inventory report is bearish for crude oil and products. EIA crude inventories rose +3.48 million bbl to a 9-month high, a larger build than expectations of +3.0 million bbl. Also, EIS gasoline supplies fell by -1.7 million bbl, a smaller draw than expectations of -1.98 million bbl. In addition, EIA distillate stockpiles unexpectedly rose by +429,000 bbl, versus expectations of a -2.36 million bbl draw. Finally, crude supplies at Cushing, the delivery point for WTI futures, rose +1.56 million bbl to a 1.5-year high.
Today’s EIA report showed that (1) US crude oil inventories as of February 27 were -2.7% below the seasonal 5-year average, (2) gasoline inventories were +4.4% above the seasonal 5-year average, and (3) distillate inventories were -1.9% below the 5-year seasonal average. US crude oil production in the week ending February 27 was unchanged w/w at 13.696 million bpd, just below the record high of 13.862 million bpd from the week of November 7.
Baker Hughes reported last Friday that the number of active US oil rigs in the week ended February 27 fell by -2 to 409 rigs, just above the 4.25-year low of 406 rigs posted in the week ended December 19. Over the past 2.5 years, the number of US oil rigs has fallen sharply from the 5.5-year high of 627 rigs reported in December 2022.
On the date of publication, Rich Asplund did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
