Open Or Closed?

Open or closed? That seems to be the debate for energy and equity markets as June trading winds down and we approach what is typically one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

So far this morning bullish sentiment is outweighing limited rollbacks in US states reopening plans, after that news sparked a heavy selloff across asset classes last week. In the energy space, once again gasoline prices are the most volatile as RBOB futures rallied nearly six cents off of its overnight lows to manage small gains this morning after dropping 15 cents last week.  

Baker Hughes reported a decline of “only” one oil rig last week, bringing the total U.S. count to a fresh 11 year low for oil, and the latest in a streak of record lows for combined oil and
gas drilling. The bright side of the report was the weekly drop is the smallest since the COVID-19 collapse in rig counts began, and with prices now hovering close to $40, the positive second derivative in rig counts suggests the end of cut backs may be near. 

If the worst days are behind U.S. energy producers, it was too late for Chesapeake, the infamous pioneering shale company which filed for bankruptcy over the weekend.

Money managers continue to seem unenthusiastic about energy trading with only minor changes in positions over the past several weeks, while open interest for WTI dropped to its lowest since February. The drop in open interest is likely due to a combination of factors including volatility returning to normal levels, new oil contracts competing with WTI for market share, and the end of the super contango storage trades. 

Speaking of storage: The EIA this morning took a closer look at record high U.S. oil inventories, in reference to reported tank capacity. Although the country has more crude oil on hand than ever, that’s still just 62 percent of working capacity. The NYMEX delivery hub in Cushing, OK, reached 83 percent of capacity in April, but has dropped to 58 percent currently. The report also highlights how both storage capacity and inventories have risen dramatically in the Gulf Coast region over the past year.

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