Latest News

US diesel futures struck 3-year low as oil selloff deepens as needed concerns

U.S. ultralow sulfur diesel futures fell to a threeyear short on Tuesday, dragged down by concerns of weak financial activity which have likewise deepened a selloff in the wider oil market.

ULSD futures traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 3.6% to settle at $2.06 a gallon, the lowest since August 2021. U.S. crude futures fell 4.3% to end at $65.75 a barrel, their lowest considering that December 2021.

WHY IT IS VERY IMPORTANT

Indications of weak financial activity in the U.S. and China, the leading oil customer and top importer, respectively, have actually weighed greatly on oil and fuel markets in recent months. Diesel is primarily utilized in industrial activities, connecting the fuel's. intake carefully to producing growth.

CONTEXT

The Company of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on. Tuesday lowered its world oil demand forecast for this year and. next, with the bulk of the cuts due to expectations of lower. development in China.

The producer group said headwinds in China's property. sector and growing adaptation of liquefied gas (LNG) as. a trucking fuel in the nation will likely weigh on diesel. need moving forward.

On the other hand, the U.S. Energy Details Administration on. Tuesday reduced its forecasts for this year's distillate fuel. consumption in the country, likewise mentioning economic issues from. slowing job growth in current months and the growing use of. alternative fuels.

BY THE NUMBERS

China's LNG-powered truck fleet reached 730,000 in June and. is expected to grow to 850,000 vehicles by the year-end, a China. oil researcher informed Reuters on Tuesday, displacing 280,000. barrels per day (bpd) of diesel in 2024.

U.S. distillate need, which includes diesel and heating. oil, is now expected to typical 3.83 million barrels daily. ( bpd) this year, down from a previous projection of 3.87 million bpd,. the EIA said on Tuesday.

It approximated demand in 2015 was around 3.92 million bpd.

While conventional diesel usage is seen decreasing. year-over-year, the EIA anticipates the biofuel part of the. market to grow. Biofuel consumption is expected to increase to. 360,000 bpd this year, from 310,000 bpd in 2015, the EIA said.

(source: Reuters)