Heating Oil Eases to $4
Heating oil futures for delivery at the New York Harbor eased to $4.0 per gallon from the seven-week high of $4.16 touched May 19th, as markets assessed the outlook on domestic refining activity and Middle Eastern petrol supply. Data from the EIA showed that stocks of distillate fuel in the US inched higher by 372 thousand barrels in the first week of May, contrasting with bets of a 1.1 million draw. The data also contrasted with a 1.5 million barrel draw for gasoline, indicating that refineries opted to concentrate capacity in diesel and jet fuel due to the shortages in global transportation hubs. The overall supply backdrop remained tight as the standstill between the US and Iran prolonged expectations of the suspension in energy exports from the Middle East. The export of distilled products from the region has been all but halted since the start of the war in March, stressing refineries and driving the price of heating oil futures to a record high of $4.6 in March.