Price changes for Thursday, December 29, 2016

Hi to all,

Here's what I have for this week's price changes.

Keep in mind that this week's numbers may be off somewhat as a result of today's missing data. I had to take my "best guess" on spot prices today just based on oil price closure. Six days of this week's data is good however, so the numbers are probably not that far off from the actual that may occur.

*Heating and stove oils show an increase of 2.3 cents a litre.
*Diesel shows an increase of 1.8 cents, and...
*Gasoline shows an added 3.2 cents a litre this week.

Market highlights

Watching and waiting
     While trading in oil was lacklustre over the last week due to Christmas holidays, some data is starting to emerge from the tail end of OPEC and non-OPEC cuts due to be implemented in January. Already, some drillers are back in the field and the latest rig count seems to confirm in no uncertain terms, that they're headed back to take advantage of a hole left in the production of oil.
      I think OPEC has forgotten that just a year and half ago, approval was sought and granted, to oil producers in the US to step up exports if the time and market conditions were ever to allow.
      They did, once the shale boom hit and oil prices remained over $100 US a  barrel.
      This week saw another gain the US rotary rig count with the shale industry adding another 13 rigs to working inventory.
       I'm waiting on further data from the US Energy Information Administration on Thursday that will most likely see another increase in US domestic production, which last week, saw production hit 8.797 million barrels a day.

OPEC production data
      The latest data on total OPEC production on the heels of self-imposed cuts should be available sometime during the first week of January.
       What is also going to be more interesting to watch is to see how much both non-OPEC producers who signed on to cuts and non-OPEC producers out there altogether, are doing to either reign in on production, or actually beginning to produce more to meet the "shortfall" created by OPEC cuts to production.
        You have to keep in mind here the simple fact of capitalism in all this equation: a company is supposed to make money for its shareholders and those companies can't do that, or attract investors, with a plan that doesn't show growth. That's going to be an important "motivator" in all this.

       Let's see who comes out on top...

Regards,

George
Twitter @GeorgeMurphyOil