About Mark Rachal
Posts by Mark Rachal
April is when we make the transition from monitoring heating-degree days and the impact of winter weather to more closely monitoring propane inventory to see how it is accumulating for... Read more»
In Trader’s Corner, we have written extensively about the high growth rate in propane supply compared to the slower growth in propane exports and domestic demand. This week’s Trader’s Corner... Read more»
In this week’s Trader’s Corner, we revisit a topic that we have discussed numerous times this year: the growth in U.S. propane production compared to propane exports. There is new... Read more»
Midwest propane inventory fell below 10 million barrels for the week ending March 8. This comes after a 1.324-million-barrel drop. Midwest inventory is now 742,000 barrels less than it was... Read more»
The propane inventory number reported each week by the Energy Information Administration also includes propylene. Propylene is a non-fuel used in the petrochemical industry primarily to make polypropylene, which is... Read more»
Propane values continue to retreat against WTI crude, which reflects weaker fundamental conditions for propane. Read more»
The price spread between U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude and global benchmark Brent crude is increasing. U.S. propane and other natural gas liquids (NGL) values are closely tied to the value of crude. Read more»
Propane’s relative value to WTI crude has been falling this year. Comparing propane’s value to crude’s value is an excellent way to determine the strength or weakness of propane fundamentals.... Read more»
High rates of propane production, high inventory levels and relatively soft growth in propane exports have created a bearish fundamental situation for propane that could continue beyond winter. Read more»
The U.S. government's decision to proceed with imposing sanctions on Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company PDVSA could raise prices on 20 million barrels of U.S. crude products, and potentially hurt U.S. economic growth. Read more»
