Oil Markets

It has been a big year for the US flagship crude, West Texas Intermediate, and in particular the way that grade is priced. Following significant growth of US crude exports before the pandemic and then the April 20 price collapse of the NYMEX WTI contract, S&P Global Platts launched its AGS assessment for waterborne cargoes of WTI Midland loading on the US Gulf Coast. Then just last week, Platts ca...

With so much US crude now coming to Europe, Platts has announced a proposal to include US WTI Midland into the North Sea benchmark of Dated Brent. Jonty Rushforth and Joel Hanley discuss how this might work and what it means for the world's leading oil benchmark.

The pandemic has pummeled Japan's oil demand and led to some dramatic drops in its crude imports and refinery runs. The onset of winter and subsequent rise in demand for heating oil has offset some of that collapse, but the road ahead continues to look uncertain, S&P Global Platts Asia oil market experts Takeo Kumagai , Daisuke Shibata and Mriganka Jaipuriyar discuss. While crude imports are expec...

Jet fuel took center stage at the recent International Air Transport Association Fuel Forum, as the industry grapples with the demand destruction due to air travel restrictions, but also paves the way for a clear decarbonisation agenda. Jet fuel and derivatives editors Emma Thomas and Christopher Ewen join Francesco Di Salvo to reflect on the key takeaways from the event and the impact on the mark...

Diesel prices across the US soared last week, reaching multiyear highs in nearly every region. The aftermath of several hurricanes this year curtailed production, and perhaps shut some refineries for good. That, combined with strong agriculture demand, created a perfect storm for strong spot market prices.

As coronavirus cases rise sharply in Europe, many countries are entering into second lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus – but are the markets prepared for a potential second round of curtailed demand? S&P Global Platts reporters Chris Ewen, Kieran Hess and Sarah-Jane Flaws discuss with Joel Hanley the state of refined products and the challenges ahead for transportation fuels.

China's GDP  grew by 4.9% the third quarter, putting the country's economy back on an expansionary track. China is one of the very few countries to register a positive growth amid the  COVID-19 pandemic . Against this backdrop, S&P Global Platts Head of News in Asia  Mriganka Jaipuriyar , senior oil writer  Oceana Zhou , and Head of Global Demand and Asia Analytics  Dr. Kang Wu  examine China's pr...

Despite demand for some refined products returning to pre-COVID levels, refinery margins in Europe have remained at all-time lows, leading to a bottleneck in the upstream market. S&P Global Platts editors Solomon Lanitis and Elza Turner discuss with Joel Hanley falling demand for crude oil in Europe, the building inventories of floating storage, and the health and prospects for the refinery sector...

For the first time, the African Refiners and Distributors Week was held virtually in the week commencing Oct. 5, discussing the challenges of the downstream sector in the region, but also the strong signs of resilience in the continent in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Platts editors Eklavya Gupte, Joseph Mcdonnell and Virginie Malicier discuss with Francesco Di Salvo key takeaways from th...

With global demand destruction and COVID-19 continuing to impact US production, the expected trajectory of US crude exports is vastly different than just a few months ago. Before the pandemic, S&P Global Platts Analytics expected US crude exports to end 2020 at a run rate of nearly 4 million b/d, rising past 6 million b/d by the mid-2020s, but with demand loss for now putting a cap on WTI at about...

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create interesting opportunities; one of the more surprising is seeing kerosene finding its way into marine fuel. Platts reporters Sarah-Jane Flaws and Gary Clark discuss with Joel Hanley how a once-premium product has mingled with shipping fuel.

Fresh from the recent Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference or  Platts APPEC ,  Gawoon Phil Vahn  and  Surabhi Sahu  join  Mriganka Jaipuriyar  to share key themes and insights discussed at the event, which brought together - virtually - the who's who in the oil industry.  This episode takes a deep dive into the impact of the current fragile demand environment on the region's refining industry, the st...

US Gulf Coast market players looking to get light naphtha barrels off their hands, a hungry Asian market and weakened freight is the perfect arbitrage recipe. But with shipowners reluctant to move their ships East, where the freight market is weak, the balance has been delicate. Sarah Raslan, US naphtha editor, and Marieke Alsguth, US clean tankers editor, chat with Americas Oil Markets Editorial...

There is rising supply for European diesel and while demand is recovering it is still short of last year's levels, the pronounced contango this is prompting comes when many clean tankers are choosing to stay in the region, meaning the stars are aligning for floating storage. Middle distillates expert Virginie Malicier and clean tanker specialist Chris To tell Joel Hanley the latest.

Russia's slashing of crude output is well documented, but how are its internal markets coping with the impact of COVID-19? Joel Hanley asks Russia experts Elza Turner and Thomas Washington what the energy superpower can do to stem volatility at home.

Light sulfur fuel oil has been the main marine fuel of choice worldwide, but high sulfur fuel oil has held its stead in Asia. S&P Global Platts senior oil experts Surabhi Sahu and Oceana Zhou join Platts Asia Head of News Mriganka Jaipuriyar in examining the demand for HSFO particularly in Singapore, which is the world's largest bunkering port. They also discuss China's fuel demand and outlook, as...

COVID-19 may have caused demand for jet fuel to plummet but S&P Global Platts and the wider industry are looking to the future with a newly launched European sustainable aviation fuel assessment, as public scrutiny keeps emissions targets in sight. Middles distillates specialists Gary Clark, Christopher Ewen and Harry Morton tell Joel Hanley how this fits in with wider trends across the middle of...

As European road transport demand gradually recovers amid the coronavirus pandemic, the price of gasoline blending component ethanol has reached all-time highs on tight supply, rising road demand and strong industrial use. Unusually, the prices of other blending components are down in the doldrums. S&P Global Platts reporters Chrysa Glystra, Joseph McDonnell and Stergios Zacharakis tell Gary Clark...

OPEC and its allies are loosening the reins around production cuts amid tentative signs of an oil demand recovery, which is likely to bring additional heavier sourer barrels back on to the market. Gillian Carr and Paul Hickin discuss with Joel Hanley how this could play out in the months ahead.

While the rest of the world is still on a relatively slow recovery phase, China's crude imports and throughput levels are hitting record highs. Its GDP has flipped back to positive territory with a 3.2% growth the second quarter, from a 6.9% decline in the first quarter. S&P Global Platts oil experts Oceana Zhou and Mark Tan talk about the facts behind these historical highs and the impact they co...

As Europe emerges from its COVID-19 lockdown, diesel demand is flickering back to life. But can the same be said for gasoil? S&P Global Platts reporters Virginie Malicier and Harry Morton discuss with Joel Hanley how European distillate markets have reacted to the Coronavirus pandemic, and the prospects for a swift recovery.

Storm clouds still lurk over the refining sector as a combination of firm heavy crude prices and limited upside to light product prices squeeze margins for simple and complex installations alike, even as a rapid demand recovery in some countries has taken markets by surprise. Refining expert Elza Turner tells Joel Hanley the latest.

The American crude benchmark NYMEX WTI went negative in April, an event that sparked global questions of 'How?' and 'Why?' Now, the US crude industry is looking to the future, with Platts American GulfCoast Select touted as an alternative yardstick against which crudes from Canada down to Argentina could be measured. Platts US crude market experts Matt Eversman and Laura Huchzermeyer speak with Jo...

The closure for maintenance of the salt caverns at Lavera on the French Mediterranean coast poses some questions for the region's LPG market, especially that of butane. LPG reporter Kieran Hess discusses with Joel Hanley how the Mediterranean market is responding to the closure in the midst of coronavirus and arbitrage links with other regions.

Asia's high volume of US crude imports in the first half 2020 could prove a false alarm for OPEC+ producers fretting over their shrinking share of the Asian demand pie following the coronavirus pandemic. S&P Global Platts oil editors Surabhi Sahu and Gawoon Philip Vahn discuss Asia's crude appetite for the second half of 2020 and how several refiners in the region planning their crude purchases fo...