Posts by Mark Rachal

Making sense of volatile crude inventories Posted on 02 Mar 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog categories.

Mark Rachal parses through the first quarter of U.S. crude inventories data. Read more»

Impacts of Winter Storm Fern on propane market fading Posted on 23 Feb 2026 in the Featured & Blue Flame Blog categories.

This week, Mark Rachal shares how propane supply and demand are normalizing after the effects of Winter Storm Fern. Read more»

Steady propane prices for 2025-26 winter Posted on 17 Feb 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog categories.

Mark Rachal explains why propane prices have been steady this winter. Read more»

Propane inventories decline more than average Posted on 09 Feb 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog categories.

Mark Rachal examines the recent greater-than-average decline in propane inventories. Read more»

Propane rejection and its causes Posted on 03 Feb 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog & Featured categories.

Mark Rachal, director of research and publications at Cost Management Solutions, explains the concept of propane rejection. Read more»

Breaking down US propane exports by destination Posted on 26 Jan 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog categories.

Mark Rachal examines key export destinations of U.S. propane to see if any of those destinations had a significant decrease in volume in 2025. Read more»

Propane exports slow; inventories soar Posted on 20 Jan 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog categories.

Mark Rachal examines the connection between the slowdown in U.S. propane exports and high propane inventories. Read more»

How events in Venezuela affect US crude supply Posted on 13 Jan 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog & Featured categories.

Mark Rachal explores how the U.S. military's recent actions in Venezuela could impact U.S. crude oil supply. Read more»

Propane inventory build is a shocker Posted on 06 Jan 2026 in the Blue Flame Blog & Featured categories.

Mark Rachal makes sense of the surprise build in propane inventories from the end of 2025. Read more»

Reflecting on the past year of propane Posted on 30 Dec 2025 in the Blue Flame Blog & Featured categories.

Mark Rachal looks back at how propane has behaved this year. Read more»