Oil Markets

EU sanctions on Russian fuel oil have dramatically altered supply flows for high sulfur material within Europe, and while there is some trading activity still in the Mediterranean basin, most Russian fuel oil is heading to Singapore and elsewhere in the East. While weaker demand has offset a lack of supply within Europe for now, market uncertainty remains high with the question of where Europe will get its imports from in the future open. In this episode of the Oil Markets Podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights editors Mary Tiernan and Chloe Davies discuss with John Morley sanctions and market dynamics for high sulfur fuel oil and VGO in Europe.

China has been stepping up efforts to tighten supervision and standardize operations of its refining sector. It launched a series of investigations on refineries beginning April 2021. The latest round of inspections this month will focus mainly on tax issues, as small-scale private refiners often fail to fulfill their tax obligations in an attempt to stay competitive. In this podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Philip Vahn, Asia oil market managing editor and Oceana Zhou and Daisy Xu, senior analysts covering China market discuss Beijing's latest tax investigation and its impact on independent refineries' future operations. Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro for access to assessments and premium content covering Platts Gasoline Unl 92 FOB Spore Cargo (PGAEY00), Platts Gasoil FOB Spore Cargo (POABC00) and much more.

Record low water levels are hindering the transportation of naphtha, LPG, gasoline blending components and diesel, amongst other commodities, along the Rhine into regions of Germany, France and Switzerland leading to critically low inland stocks and the release of strategic reserves for products already affected by the war in Ukraine and a rebound in transportation demand. In this episode of the Oil Markets Podcast, S&P Global Platts Global editors Eklavya Gupte, Virginie Malicier and Vinicius Maffei discuss with Gary Clark the market implications of strained supply chains for clean oil products for Europe. Price symbols on clean oil products discussed in this episode: Naphtha FOB ARA barges - PAAAM00 Gasoline Eurobob FOB ARA barges - AAQZV00 Diesel 10ppm FOB ARA barges - AAJUS00

Even after US gasoline prices reached historic highs during the coronavirus pandemic, they somehow found more room to rise in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Strong demand and a lack of imports into the US Atlantic Coast resulted in unprecedented interest to ship barrels on Colonial Pipeline. The only problem? It wasn't enough. Light ends manager Andrea Salazar and US gasoline reporters Anna Trier and Jordan Daniel discuss how gasoline prices have fared in this tight market and whether prices are seeing any relief. Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro for access to assessments and premium content covering Gulf Coast CBOB (AARQU00), New York Harbor barge RBOB (AAMGV00), and much more.

The days of vaccine certificates and COVID-19 tests for travel are long gone for most, and yet jet fuel demand doesn’t seem to have fully recovered from the pandemic. S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters Virginie Malicier and Maxim Kotenev tell Francesco Di Salvo how record-high physical premiums have led to a flurry of eastern cargoes sailing to Europe, and how short-staffed airlines and airports have had to cap passenger capacity growth despite ample pent-up travel appetite. Check our Jet CIF NWE Cargo assessment (PJAAU00) on Platts Dimensions Pro: https://platform.platts.spglobal.com/web/client?auth=inherit&ignoreIDMContext=1#platts/priceprofile?symbol=PJAAU00

Based on early consumption trends in Asia, market participants believe that the second half of 2022 may turn out to be one of the strongest six-month periods of oil demand growth seen over the past three years. That said, some pockets in China are still facing lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic and high oil prices are threatening to pull down demand in other consuming nations. In this podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Calvin Lee, Asia head of content, and Kang Wu, head of global demand and Asia analytics discuss with Sambit Mohanty, Asia energy editor the potential top themes for Asian oil markets in the second half of 2022. Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro for access to assessments and premium content covering Platts Jet Kero FOB Spore Cargo (PJABF00), Platts Gasoline Unl 92 FOB Spore Cargo (PGAEY00), Platts Gasoil FOB Spore Cargo (POABC00) and much more.

In Europe, with a hot summer ongoing and a cold winter expected, re-establishing secure sources of energy in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine is a top priority. S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters Shivani Pandya and Sasha Foss speak with crude oil director Joel Hanley about plans to address the crunch in European natural gas supply, and how a return to oil-fired power generation is not as simple as some might suggest. Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro for access to assessments and premium content covering the front-month TTF natural gas benchmark (GTFTM01), European fuel oil (AAYWT00), and much more.

S&P Global Commodity Insights recently made the decision to reflect WTI Midland barrels in the daily Platts Dated Brent global crude benchmark. See the note here. Americas crude oil managing editor Laura Huchzermeyer speaks with Emma Kettley, global lead of the Brent complex, and Kristian Tialios, US Gulf Coast crude specialist, about what the market can expect from the inclusion of one of the top-produced US crude grades into the world’s most influential crude pricing benchmarks. Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro for access to assessments and premium content covering Dated Brent (PCAAS00), WTI Midland (AAYBA00), and much more.

Russia has long supplied European and US markets with fuel oil. In light of the war in Ukraine, where is this fuel going and how can the usual buyers make up the shortfall? S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters David Petutschnig and Chloe Davies discuss with Joel Hanley how the dynamics of high sulfur fuel oil and vacuum gasoil are changing fast. Access our special report Inside Fujairah: http://plts.co/ngU530snBMP

Demand for transportation fuels has been picking up in Asia, as higher vaccination rates and improved mobility push regional economies to open up to near pre-pandemic levels. Global oil supplies, however, are not keeping pace with this recovering demand. China's move to inject more fuel supplies into the Asian market by way of a supplementary second round of oil products export quotas in early June is unlikely to help improve regional demand-supply balances. Moreover, China's oil product exports in 2022 are likely to fall from 2021 levels as Beijing aims to minimize outflows to meet its net-zero target. Refining margins for clean transportation fuels like gasoil, jet/kerosene and gasoline skyrocketed to historical highs earlier this month. Even as cracks have inched lower since, expectations are these valuations will stay elevated in the foreseeable future. In this podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights' Rajesh Nair, Su Yeen Cheong, Oceana Zhou and Zhuwei Wang shed light on the current situation and discuss the scenarios that are likely to play out in the Asian clean fuels markets in the near to medium term.