Author: Tim Danze

Two forces opposing market forces—low inventories and recessionary concerns—are battling to determine the direction of diesel fuel prices in the near term. From a supply standpoint, total distillate inventories stood at 116.020 million gallons as of the week of Sept. 9., 2022. At the same time last year, there were […]

On Feb. 18, 2022, six days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil was trading at $91.07 per barrel. Since then, many countries have condemned the Russian aggression and responded to it with sanctions and banning imports of Russian energy products. As of May […]

The energy markets have been on a tear to the upside recently. Prices have recovered over 50 percent from the pandemic lows, and it seems nothing, not even the latest COVID-19 variant, can derail the momentum. Energy analysts and companies are trying to figure out the current supply situation as […]

You likely have seen many signs from employers seeking workers lately. Bloomberg reports thousands of cities and states across the United States are facing the most acute labor shortage in recent memory. The high demand for workers is across the board in a wide range of industries. The U.S. labor […]

The coronavirus pandemic turned our lives upside down. Everyone was affected in some fashion. Now that we hopefully see some light at the end of the tunnel, it’s worth looking back to see what we can learn from the experience. My biggest takeaway is to take nothing for granted, especially […]

On Jan. 20, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States of America. While the coronavirus pandemic and the country’s economic situation will dominate much of his early days in office, there are many climate and energy issues Biden addressed through executive actions on day one […]

As I write this latest market commentary article in mid-January, we have just gone through some serious geopolitical events in the Middle East. On Jan. 3, the United States launched an attack near the Baghdad International Airport that killed Major General Qassem Soleimani, who was the commander of Iran’s secretive […]

After the coronavirus caused a precipitous decline in WTI crude prices that saw oil futures take an unprecedented dip into negative territory, it’s fair to wonder what we can expect moving forward. Will there be a so-called new normal for energy prices, or can we expect more of the same? […]

The U.S. crude oil market ventured into unprecedented territory on Monday, April 20, when prices turned negative. Futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange for soon-to-expire May contracts of West Texas intermediate crude oil, or WTI, fell to -$37.63 a barrel by the time the market closed. WTI serves as […]

The leaves are changing colors, temperatures are dropping, and harvest has begun. Autumn has arrived and so too has the time of year when it pays to be thinking of your fuel needs. If you look back at the seasonal cycle of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) futures on the New […]

As summer begins to wind down, there are a number of things I am closely watching that could sway the direction of the fuel and propane market. I would advise you to consider these factors in preparation for your energy needs for the fall and winter. Deal or No Deal? […]

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates global shipping, is set to roll out new regulations at the start of next year to reduce sulfur content in fuels used by shipping vessels. You may be wondering what bearing oceanic cargo ships have on a farm cooperative here in the Midwest […]