Forex Trading

The Surging U S. Domestic Crude Oil Grades Market

Further information on each exchange’s rules and product listings can be found by clicking on the links to CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX. The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Tuesday, November 14th 2023. Saudi Arabia’s quick bounce-back in oil production deflates the oil rally — but this story isn’t over yet. The investment bank forecasts Brent to trade between the range of $90 to $100 per barrel over the coming months, with a year-end target of $95 per barrel. Oilprice.com, in cooperation with its partners, offers over 150 crude oil blends and indexes from all around the world, providing users with oil price charts, comparison tools and smart analytical features.

The WTI benchmark at Cushing provides a reliable anchor as the flat price reference for the crude oil grades, and allows for more reliability in the price mechanism based on active spread trading. The U.S. domestic crude oil grades market has been transformed into a vibrant and international marketplace with active participation from Europe and Asia. This transformation has been driven by rising U.S. crude exports, surging domestic production, and new pipeline infrastructure. With rising exports, the Gulf Coast grades are accessing the global marketplace, and competing directly with Atlantic Basin and West African crude oil grades. The major challenge for the Midland trading hub has been providing additional takeaway pipeline capacity to keep pace with the rapid rise in crude oil production in the Permian Basin.

First, the LOOP facility has begun loading export vessels from its deep-water port that will allow for loading of Mars onto VLCC vessels with capacity of 2 to 4 million barrels. This will provide direct access for Mars to be exported to the global marketplace, and provide new arbitrage opportunities for the Mars benchmark. Based on feedback from industry sources, the recent pipeline flows of WTI-type crude oil inbound to Houston is in the range of 3.0 million barrels per day (b/d). The U.S. domestic crude oil grades market has been transformed from an opaque and regional market into a vibrant and international marketplace with active participation from Europe and Asia. W&T Offshore, Inc., an independent oil and natural gas producer, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Gulf of Mexico. W&T Offshore, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

  • Previously, Mars flowed northbound to Midwest refineries via Capline, but the pipeline flows have been terminated.
  • Brent Crude is a particularly light crude oil which is carried from the North Sea to the Sullom Voe Terminal on Mainland, Shetland by an underwater pipeline.
  • First, Marathon Pipe Line LLC has begun work on the reversal of the Capline system, and the pipeline system has terminated northbound shipments from St. James.
  • The commodity of crude oil is by far the world’s most important energy source and the price of oil therefore plays an important role in industrial and economic development.
  • The most important type of crude oil used in Europe is Brent Crude, named after the North Sea oilfield where it is extracted.

Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub, delivery point for U.S. crude futures, fell by 943,000 barrels in the week to just under 22 million barrels, the lowest since July 2022, data showed. WTI is the main oil benchmark for North America as it is sourced from the United States, primarily from the Permian Basin. It then travels through pipelines where it is refined in the Midwest and the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil Price (Brent Crude and WTI)

This pipeline reversal has significantly altered the logistics in the Mars market, and as a result Mars has become a key export grade from the LOOP terminal. When the Capline is finally reversed in 2022, the line will provide access to Bakken and Canadian crude oil to flow southbound from Patoka to the Gulf Coast in direct competition with LLS. The shutdown of Capline has significantly altered the logistics in the LLS market, as market participants seek out additional outlets for LLS in Louisiana and in the export market. The Argus assessment for WTI Houston crude oil is based on delivery at the Magellan terminal in East Houston, which is a key hub for delivery of WTI-type crude oil. The cash market liquidity is vibrant, and market participation is deep, with 20 to 30 market participants. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is a specific grade of crude oil and one of the main three benchmarks in oil pricing, along with Brent and Dubai Crude.

Crude Oil is a naturally occurring liquid fossil fuel resulting from plants and animals buried underground and exposed to extreme heat and pressure. Crude oil is one of the most demanded commodities and prices have significantly increased in recent times. Two major benchmarks for pricing crude oil are the United States’ WTI (West Texas Intermediate) and United Kingdom’s Brent. The differences between WTI and Brent include not only price but oil type as well, with WTI producing crude oil with a different density and sulfur content.

Brent Crude is a particularly light crude oil which is carried from the North Sea to the Sullom Voe Terminal on Mainland, Shetland by an underwater pipeline. Crude oil is by far the world’s most important energy source and the price of oil therefore plays an important role in industrial and economic development. There is an active physical crude oil trading center based in Houston, Texas, which is a major hub for storage and pipelines with direct connectivity to the Cushing, Midland, and U.S. There is active trading in light sweet WTI type crude oil (also referred to as domestic sweet).

Figure 3: Capline Pipeline System

In addition, the liquidity of the WTI benchmark at Cushing helps to enhance the accuracy and the transparency of the basis differential for WTI at Houston where exports are priced. The LLS grade is traded at its hub in St. James, Louisiana, which consists of storage facilities and major pipelines for distribution from the Gulf Coast to refineries in Louisiana. There are significant new developments in Louisiana that will impact logistics around the LLS market. First, Marathon Pipe Line LLC has begun work on the reversal of the Capline system, and the pipeline system has terminated northbound shipments from St. James. As a result, the Capline is no longer available as an outlet for the LLS crude oil flow to refineries in the Midwest. The significance of a benchmark in the oil market is that benchmarks serve as a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil.

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The Motley Fool reaches millions of people every month through our premium investing solutions, free guidance and market analysis on Fool.com, top-rated podcasts, and non-profit The Motley Fool Foundation. Forecasts for $100 per barrel oil have been swirling on the horizon in recent days. Goldman Sachs recently raised its 12-month Brent forecast from $93 per barrel to $100 on the back of “modestly sharper inventory draws,” the investment bank wrote in a recent note dated September how to buy a tiger 20. “OPEC+ production cuts, including the voluntary extra cut by Saudi Arabia, are bearing fruit, lowering oil inventories and supporting prices,” UBS wrote in a note dated September 28. Additionally, Russia has pledged to extend its 300,000 barrels per day export reduction until the end of December. Potentially adding to supply tightness, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to ensure retail fuel prices stabilise after a jump caused by an increase in exports.

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In December 2005 the global demand for crude oil was 83.3 million barrels per day according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and this will continue to rise further. The Mars market represents spot what are trade skills trade of Mars Blend crude oil which is deliverable at the LOOP facilities in Clovelly, Louisiana. As mentioned above, there are significant developments in Louisiana that will impact the Mars market.

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West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is a light, sweet crude oil (petroleum with less than 0.5% sulfur is called sweet) considered one of the main global oil benchmarks, along with Brent oil. WTI is a blend of several oils drilled and processed in the United States, primarily serves as a benchmark for the US oil market. Currently, oil market participants are pricing U.S. oil exports based primarily on the assessment of WTI at Houston, which is quoted as a differential to the WTI benchmark price at Cushing. This WTI pricing differential is highly liquid, and reflects the location basis between Cushing and the export hub in Houston. The WTI benchmark at Cushing provides the flat price reference for the WTI priced at Houston.

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In addition, there are significant changes coming in Louisiana that will impact the LLS and Mars markets. The ability to export from the LOOP facility is a game-changer that will provide direct access to the global marketplace, and provide new arbitrage opportunities for the LLS and Mars benchmarks. In addition, the planned reversal of the Capline system in top natural gas stocks 2022 will allow crude oil to flow southbound to the Gulf Coast in direct competition with LLS and Mars. This pipeline reversal will significantly alter the logistics in the LLS and Mars markets, and will impact the pricing of these benchmarks. The growth in U.S. crude oil exports has been balanced and diverse, with strong participation from Asian countries.

In September, OPEC+ kingpin Saudi Arabia extended its 1 million barrel per day voluntary crude oil production cut until the end of the year. The global oil markets are looking at a “pretty robust deficit” on top of an already significant shortfall this quarter, Malek said, citing the oil production cuts implemented by OPEC and its allies. U.S. crude oil exports more than tripled in June 2018 compared to one year ago,  to average 2.4 million b/d. The growth in exports has been transformative for the U.S. crude oil market.