Hurricane Harvey Update #1

Update #1

Hi to all,

Just an update on Hurricane Harvey and the effect it could have on gasoline and heating oil prices this week!

No doubt, you have all heard of the devastation being wrought in Texas at this hour and it's important to keep all those going through this storm on your mind tonight and for the next few days.

I am watching the markets at the moment to see how this storm will play out.

So far, as of Friday, gasoline prices are up about two cents a litre for Thursday, but markets are trading upwards another ten cents a US gallon at this hour with the potential for refinery disruptions being very strong. Electricity is out in a lot of the major refining areas of Texas at this hour and it is expected that a lot of refineries will be put out of commission for a few days while the waters recede.

Both oil imports and exports through the major Texas shipping channels are shut down. Several refineries are also offline.

While the storm made landfall several hundred miles from where Katrina and Rita made landfall in 2005, that doesn't discount the fact that upwards of five million barrels of processing in the Gulf of Mexico area may be taken out simply by the huge amount of water.

I don’t expect markets to be trading too heavy this time around as this hurricane has landed further west in the Gulf of Mexico, but the storm is also subject to swing around and land again closer to the Louisiana coast and eastern Texas which would put it closer to more refinery infrastructure that was affected during Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Gasoline will be taking a hit this week. It just remains to be seen, especially after Monday and Tuesday trading, exactly how much. I'll keep everyone up to date on the numbers as the days go by, but it's easy to say here to expect increases across the board to all fuels this week.

Regards,

George Murphy

Twitter@GeorgeMurphyOil

Price changes for Thursday, August 24, 2017

Hi to all,

Here’s what I have for this week’s price changes:

*Heating/stove oils show a drop of two cents a litre.

*Diesel shows a drop of 1.9 cents a litre, and...

*Gasoline shows a drop of 6/10ths of a cent a litre.

Gasoline, Distillate fuels continue lower

“We may be starting to formulate a picture for heating oil prices for this winter as the focus comes off gasoline prices from this past summer, and consumers hopefully will see those benefits if the down trend continues”. That news from George Murphy, oil analyst with the Consumer Group for Fair Gas Prices.

Gasoline and distillate prices again continued to drop as lower oil and refined product prices showed a retreat after Libyan crude again was set for export. A shutdown of Libyan exports on Thursday helped to increase Brent prices, but turned lower as agreement was said to re-open ports on Monday.

“It wasn’t so much as a surprise to see Libyan exports shut in once again, but there was an obvious peaceful resolution put in place that played into the markets over a very quick period”. Murphy said. “Again, prices started to show a downwards retreat especially for refined distillates.

“It’s the right time of year to show a drop in distillates leading into the fall and winter heating seasons as this is a traditional time of year we see that run-up in prices ahead of the demand season. To see a drop this time of year may reflect what speculators may be thinking: that there’s not a lot to be gained in the markets for distillates again this year. While spot prices are still ten cents a litre higher that what they were for the same timeframe last year, a downward trend may be signalling further drops to come in prices”.

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For more information, contact;

George Murphy

Twitter @GeorgeMurphyOil

Price changes for Thursday, August 10, 2017

Hi to all,

Here’s what I have for this week’s price changes:

*Heating/stove oils will increase by 7/10ths of a  cent a litre.

*Diesel fuel shows an increase of 9/10ths of a cent a litre.

*Gasoline shows an increase of 1.2 cents a litre

Continued demand increase adds up to an increase in gasoline prices

If there was any hope for speculators to make a dollar in the gasoline markets, that time is quickly slipping away with the end of summer. This week’s increase in prices may be the last week for that as prices are set to increase to consumers by just over a penny. That’s according to George Murphy, group researcher for the Consumer Group for Fair Gas Prices.

“Last week showed just the second week in a row this summer where demand was shown to be increasing during the summer months. It been remarkable to see demand during the summer as low as what it has been in a year where the US economy has been booming.” Murphy said. ”Speculators are enjoying a ‘last gasp’ as the summer driving season comes to a close”.

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For more information, contact:

George Murphy

Price changes for Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

Hi to all,

Here’s what I have for this week’s price changes:

*Heating/stove oils show an increase of 3.1 cents a litre.

*Diesel fuel shows an increase of 3.6 cents a litre, and...

*Gasoline shows an increase of 1.7 cents a litre*.

                                       *Gasoline showed considerable volatility over the weekend and did not appear in the numbers until Monday. I believe gasoline may see a larger increase than what is shown here.

Time to drop the tax on heating again?

“If consumers are starting to feel the pinch of rising prices again, it should be no surprise. Government should bring some relief in taxes collected on heat again”. That’s according to George Murphy, energy watchdog.

“It seems that everyone and everything dealing with energy to consumers are looking for a piece of our pockets again, both on the electricity front and on the petroleum products end of things. While others have applied for electricity price increases, spot prices for distillates like heating and stove oils are starting to rise as speculators try and make a buck off the backs of consumers after a failed season of gasoline profit-taking.

“We’re again facing upwards pricing pressure from all sides,  Murphy said. “And that pressure is being widely felt by everyone as we get closer to fall and winter. Already, I am hearing from those who can’t afford to pay any more in taxes on rising commodity prices and that’s a warning sign to government that we will need further relief for those who can’t afford to keep warm this winter. Consumer’s pockets are simply empty from mounting debt.

“It’s time that the government meet everyone’s needs and drop the tax on necessities like heat, which is an ongoing health concern for most”.

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For more information, contact:

George Murphy

Twitter @GeorgeMurphyOil