Heating Oil Sustains Sharp Losses
US heating oil futures dropped toward $3.95 per gallon on Wednesday as diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict combined with a surprise build in domestic inventories to pressure energy markets. Distillate stocks including diesel and heating oil rose by 3.03 million barrels in the week ended March 20th defying analyst expectations for a 1.3 million-barrel draw and marking a sharp reversal from the previous week's decline. This inventory surge occurred alongside a 6.9 million-barrel increase in US crude stockpiles which surpassed forecasts and signaled a fifth consecutive weekly build. While the US reportedly delivered a 15-point peace proposal to Iran via Pakistan Tehran ruled out ceasefire talks despite allowing restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Although energy markets remain volatile due to fuel hoarding in Asia the pullback in benchmark crude has provided a temporary ceiling for heating oil prices which remain up 50% for the month.