Commodity Tracker: 5 charts to watch this week

1. Libyan disruptions add to bullish oil geopolitics

What’s occurring? Libyan protests spread to three more crude export terminals on June 10, decreasing provide to round 300,000 b/d from 680,000 b/d in Could and 980,000 b/d within the first quarter (earlier than blockades began in mid-April). Japanese common Khalifa Haftar’s forces look like behind the disruptions, in a potential try to extend leverage and push out interim PM Abdul Hamid Dbeibah earlier than a UN roadmap expires on June 21.

What’s subsequent? Tensions are anticipated to proceed between rival governments, with their aligned militia utilizing oil blockades to push for energy and oil revenues. Haftar beforehand shut down 1 million b/d for 9 months in 2020. Due to this fact, a sustained outage or continued volatility of Libyan provide this yr could be unsurprising and is a key bullish threat for oil markets.

2. Asian refiners anticipate competitors for Center Japanese crude

What’s occurring? Following the decision by OPEC+ June 2 to lift manufacturing quotas by 648,000 b/d for July and one other 648,000 b/d for August, refiners throughout Asia are cautious of the chance that a good portion of the incremental Center Japanese provide could go to end-users in Europe, leaving Asian prospects behind the shopping for queue.

What’s subsequent? Feedstock managers at 9 main Asian refiners instructed S&P International Commodity Insights they’d actively search methods to buy extra Middle Eastern crude and excessive official promoting costs ought to be justified supplied incremental provide will be secured and refining margins stay sturdy. In South Korea and Japan, efforts at each state and company stage have been put in place to safe extra Center Japanese barrels as refiners intention to keep up comparatively excessive run charges to ease tight diesel, gasoline and jet gas provide circumstances in Asia.

3. Freeport LNG extends outage to late 2022, spurring Henry Hub sell-off

What’s occurring? Freeport LNG skilled a hearth on June 8 that shut down the ability and eradicating 2 Bcf/d of US LNG feedgas demand. Freeport LNG can be unable to return to full operation until late 2022, with partial service focusing on a return in 90 days, or mid-September. Whole US LNG feedgas has averaged 10.7 Bcf/d for the reason that outage, down from 12.8 Bcf/d within the first week of June.

What’s subsequent? The drop in LNG feedgas demand precipitated Henry Hub costs for the stability of the summer season to steeply unload. The decrease feedgas demand this summer season will enable for extra provide to maneuver into different fundamentals like rising energy demand or storage injections, serving to to slim the 323 Bcf stock deficit to the five-year common.

4. Gazprom fuel gross sales to Europe to fall additional after Nord Stream provide lower

What’s occurring? Gazprom’s fuel gross sales in non-CIS international locations plunged within the first half of June to a median of 307 million cu m/d after it cut off supplies to various European consumers over their refusal to adjust to Moscow’s new ruble-based cost mechanism. Gross sales are actually lower than half of what they had been simply 18 months in the past.

What’s subsequent? Provides from Gazprom are set to fall additional within the second half of June after it lower deliveries by way of the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany to only 40% of capability over upkeep points at a key compressor station. Nord Stream—which runs beneath the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany—had been the principle channel for Russian fuel to succeed in Europe, and it stays to be seen whether or not Gazprom will attempt to offset the decrease volumes by rising transit by way of Ukraine.

5. First indicators of demand destruction in European energy forward of summer season

What’s occurring: European electrical energy demand is slowing down. Consumption in Europe’s 5 largest markets for the 5 months to the top of Could was down 1.7% yr on yr, reflecting a milder spring but in addition rising client prices. UK demand has fallen essentially the most, down 5% yr on yr, with a marked decline since April when default tariffs had been hiked 54%, bringing common annual payments near GBP2,000/yr.

What’s subsequent: The pattern may very well be about to flip if summer season heatwaves are extended, boosting air-con demand throughout Europe. Provide-side fundamentals should not serving to. Inland, river-based energy stations in Italy and France are already present process cooling restrictions. Twinned with poor nuclear availability and a contemporary enhance in fuel feedstock costs, European energy markets are in for a torrid time forward of winter, when regulated payments are set to rise once more.

Reporting and evaluation by Jack Winter, Nareeka Ahir, Philip Vahn, Takeo Kumagai, Pankaj Rao, Stuart Elliott and Henry Edwardes-Evans