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Hedge funds and other money managers purchased the equivalent of 41 million barrels in the six most important petroleum futures and options contracts over the seven days ending on Sept. 12. The net position in all products had fallen to 155 million barrels (71st percentile) on Sept. 12 down from 177 million (80th percentile) on Aug. 15. Short positions in NYMEX WTI slumped to just 21 million barrels on Sept. 12, the lowest for more than a year since June 2022. U.S. NATURAL GASInvestors remain ambivalent about the outlook for U.S. gas prices – torn between depleting inventories and the prospect of a warmer-than-average winter driven by a strong El Niño. The prospect of reduced consumption and slower export growth is weighing on gas prices and has kept them range bound for the last three months.

Persons: Richard Carson, bullishness, NYMEX WTI, Investors, John Kemp, David Evans Organizations: Department of Energy, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, REUTERS, ICE, U.S . diesel, Fund, distillates, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Freeport , Texas, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Europe, China, distillates, Saudi, Cushing, Oklahoma, NYMEX, distillates ., East Asia, North America, Pacific

A diesel fuel nozzle is seen attached to a car at a Shell petrol station in Berlin, Germany October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/ Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Global distillate fuel oil inventories remain much lower than normal for the time of year which is putting strong upward pressure on fuel prices. Initially, the upward pressure on distillate refining margins was masked by downward pressure on the underlying prices for crude oil. Since July, however, both crude prices and distillate refining margins have been rising, causing the total price of fuel to surge. Related columns:- U.S. diesel prices surge anticipating a soft landing (August 11, 2023)- Depleted U.S. diesel stocks attract hedge funds (July 20, 2023)- Global distillate stocks low despite industrial slowdown (June 13, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, John Kemp, Alexander Smith Organizations: Shell, REUTERS, OPEC ⁺, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Berlin, Germany, Singapore, New York, Saudi Arabia, Europe, North America, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, China

Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S. April 21, 2020. Crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) rose by 4 million barrels in the week to Sept. 8 to 420.6 million barrels, more than double analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.9 million-barrel drop. Crude production rose 100,000 bpd to 12.9 million bpd, a peak not seen since March 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic crushed demand and production. ET (1449 GMT), while U.S. crude rose 41 cents, or 0.5%, to $89.26. Gasoline stocks (USOILG=ECI) rose 5.6 million barrels - the most since July 2022 - to 220.3 million barrels, the EIA said, far exceeding expectations for a 200,000-barrel build.Distillate stockpiles (USOILD=ECI), which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 3.9 million barrels to 122.5 million barrels, triple the forecast for a 1.3 million-barrel build.

Persons: Matt Smith, Smith, Arathy Somasekhar, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Drone, Rights, Energy Information Administration, Cushing, Net, Brent, EIA, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, U.S, Oklahoma, Houston

A general view of a crude oil importing port in Qingdao, Shandong province, November 9, 2008. Many of the newer, complex refineries in Asia prefer medium sour crude as it offers a higher yield of middle distillates such as diesel and jet fuel. ALTERED FLOWSThe higher prices for medium crude grades is impacting the ways in which crude is flowing around the world. China's imports from Brazil are expected to reach 29.07 million barrels in September, which would be the highest in three years, according to Kpler. While Saudi Arabia may have been successful in boosting oil prices, it is also disrupting the markets and altering physical crude flows.

Persons: Brent, China doesn't, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Moscow, Kpler, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Qingdao, Shandong province, LAUNCESTON, Australia, Asia, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Russia, East, Kuwait, Brent, Dubai, Ukraine, India, Iraq, China, Iran, Islamic Republic, United States, Brazil

Distillate inventories, which include diesel and heating oil, were by late August about 15% below the five-year average for this time of year, according to the Energy Information Administration. "We are living barrel to barrel and there is just no room for errors in the system," Price Futures Group analyst Phil Flynn said. Refiners have failed to build sizable stocks ahead of the seasonal surge in demand due to tight supplies of medium and heavy crude oil grades that are distillate-rich. Seasonal overhauls could take out around 2 million bpd of the country's 18.1 million bpd refining capacity, he said. "Even with soft demand, diesel inventories are stubbornly low, and cracks have rallied in search of supply or demand-side relief before winter," the analysts said.

Persons: Bing Guan, Phil Flynn, Refiners, Bjarne Schieldrop, SEB, Robert Yawger, Shariq Khan, Laura Sanicola, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Angeles Refinery, California Air Resources Board, Energy Information Administration, Futures, Organization Petroleum Exporting, Saudi, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: Angeles, California, Carson , California, U.S, Europe, OPEC, Ukraine, Garyville , Louisiana

Hedge funds and other money managers purchased the equivalent of 10 million barrels of futures and options on U.S. diesel and European gas oil over the seven days ending Aug. 8. In the premier NYMEX WTI contract, short positions had been reduced by 91 million barrels or two-thirds since June 27. The total position has risen to a net long of 707 billion cubic feet (47th percentile for all weeks since 2010) up from a net short of 1,061 billion cubic feet (7th percentile) at the end of January. But the surplus had narrowed slowly but progressively from 299 billion cubic feet (+12% or +0.81 standard deviations) on June 30. Related columns:- U.S. diesel prices surge anticipating a soft landing (Aug. 11, 2023)- Crude oil and fuels draw funds as sentiment shifts (Aug. 7, 2023)- Short-covering by hedge funds lifted oil prices (Aug. 1, 2023)- Depleted U.S. diesel stocks attract hedge funds (July 20, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: Guan, Brent, John Kemp, Jan Harvey Organizations: Phillips, Los, Los Angeles Refinery, Funds, ICE, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Los Angeles, Carson , California, U.S

Recovering profit margins may prompt complex refiners to maximise yields of transport fuels, causing excess naphtha output as a byproduct in a tepid petrochemical market and further depressing feedstock margins. Mandell expects margins to continue to perform well throughout the year heading into higher-demand crop planting season and into winter in the United States. "The healthy margins reflect the bull market for diesel combined with still strong gasoline cracks even if gasoline did weaken sharply on week. U.S. oil companies said during recent second quarter earnings presentations that strong global demand for fuels and low product inventories are driving robust profits. "Global capacity additions continue to progress slower than anticipated, and we believe that global demand growth will remain strong," Hennigan added.

Persons: Brian M, Mandell, Eugene Lindell, bullish HSFO, FGE's Lindell, Lindell, ENEOS, Phillips, Michael J, Hennigan, Mohi Narayan, Laura Sanicola, Ahmad Ghaddar, Jeslyn Lerh, Tony Munroe, Muralikumar Organizations: NEW, Phillips, Saudi, Reuters, Petronas, Hyundai, India's Reliance Industries, Oil, Marathon Petroleum, Marathon, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, WASHINGTON, Latin America, Asia, United States, Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, U.S, New Delhi, Washington, London

REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoLONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Crude oil prices continued to climb as Saudi Arabia’s decision to extend its unilateral production cuts and signs of decelerating inflation and a soft landing in the United States improved sentiment among investors. The total position climbed to 563 million barrels (46th percentile for all weeks since 2013) on Aug. 1, up from just 282 million barrels (5th percentile) on June 27. The most recent week saw a significant number of new bullish long positions initiated (+37 million barrels) as well as former bearish shorts closed out (-14 million). If implemented in full, extra cuts announced by Saudi Arabia and Russia would remove a further 115 million barrels from the market between July and September. In the most recent week, funds were buyers of European gas oil (+20 million barrels), Brent (+19 million), U.S. gasoline (+6 million), U.S. diesel (+4 million) and NYMEX and ICE WTI (+3 million).

Persons: Mike Segar, Brent, John Kemp, Mark Potter Organizations: Bayway, REUTERS, ICE Futures, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Petroleum, Traders, U.S ., ICE, U.S . diesel, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Phillips, Linden , New Jersey, U.S, Saudi, United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Saudi Arabia may raise Sept crude prices for a third month
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, may raise its price for Arab Light crude for sale to Asian refiners for a third month as its voluntary output cuts may be extended, further tightening the supply of high-sulphur, or sour, crude. The supply reductions have boosted oil prices, particularly for sour crude, since the end of June. Arab Light prices are also supported by improving refining margins in Asia, in particular for middle distillates. Most of the survey respondents expected Saudi Arabia to raise prices for heavier grades Arab Medium and Arab Heavy by more than Arab Extra Light as the light crude is oversupplied. The Arab Extra Light OSP typically tracks premiums of Murban, a light sour crude from the United Arab Emirates.

Persons: Backwardation, Saudi Aramco's, Muyu Xu, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Saudi Aramco, Organization of, Petroleum, Ministerial, United, Brent, Saudi, Kuwaiti, bbl, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Saudi Arabia, State, Saudi, Oman, Dubai, OPEC, Saudi Aramco, Asia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Americas, West Africa

Most of the buying was in contracts linked to crude oil (+169 million barrels) with a particular emphasis on NYMEX and ICE WTI (+132 million). Short-covering has helped lift front-month WTI futures prices to over $81 per barrel on Aug. 1 from less than $68 on June 27. European gas oil futures and options have experienced an especially rapid increase in positions over the last four weeks (+29 million barrels). As a result, the net position rose to 41 million barrels (44th percentile) on July 25 from just 12 million barrels (18th percentile) on June 27. Related columns:- Depleted U.S. diesel stocks attract hedge funds (July 20, 2023)- Saudi output cut entices funds back into oil market (July 17, 2023)- Extreme pessimism gripped hedge funds on oil (July 3, 2023)- Is oil market’s glass half-full or half-empty?

Persons: Nick Oxford, ⁺, John Kemp Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Connect, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, ICE Futures, ICE, Fund, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Midland , Texas, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, United States, WTI, Brent, North America, Europe, China

☆ China's gasoline demand peak nears as EV boom hastens transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Mohi Narayan | Thomson Reuters | Reports On Everything How Asia S Fuel Use Recovers The Fallout Of To Tracking How The Global Energy Transition Impacts Refinery Expansion Plans | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and consultancy Rystad Energy have brought forward forecasts of China's peak gasoline demand by about a year to 2024, while Chinese state majors PetroChina and Sinopec (600028.SS) see it in 2025. The earlier halt in gasoline demand growth in the world's No. Reuters GraphicsAs a result of accelerating EV sales, Paris-based IEA now expects Chinese gasoline demand to peak in 2024 at about 3.7 million barrels per day (bpd), bringing forward an earlier projection of demand plateauing in 2025/2026. The research arm of China's state refiner CNPC expects gasoline demand to peak in 2025, citing accelerating sales of EVs, and sees gasoline demand shrinking 2.3% annually between 2026 and 2030. China's massive move into petrochemicals is already causing a glut globally, prompting companies to shift investments to high-end energy transition materials.

Persons: Aly, refiners, Toril Bosoni, EV's, Gaurav Batra, Mukesh Sahdev, Ma Yongsheng, Mohi Narayan, Carman Chew, Matthew Chye, Chen Aizhu, Zoey Zhang, Andrew Hayley, Florence Tan, Sonali Paul Organizations: Porsche, Auto Shanghai, REUTERS, International Energy Agency, Rystad Energy, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, China, Shenghong Petrochemical, Energy, Graphics, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Jan, Sinopec, Asia, Reuters Graphics China, Paris, U.S, North America, India, Sun, New Delhi, Singapore, Beijing

☆ Oil prices open lower on demand concerns, remain on track for weekly gain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Oil prices fell in early Asian trade on Friday as demand concerns weighed against strong economic data. Brent crude fell 59 cents, or 0.7%, to $83.65 a barrel by 0027 GMT, but was on track for a weekly 5% increase. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 51 cents, or 0.6%, to $79.58 a barrel, on track for a 5.2% weekly increase. Oil rose last session as fears of a global economic slowdown were eased by strong earnings reports and better-than-expected U.S. economic data. On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve implemented another 25 basis point interest rate hike as widely expected, and the European Central Bank followed suit on Thursday.

Persons: Brent, Jerome Powell's, Jim Ritterbusch Organizations: . West Texas, Commerce Department, U.S, Federal, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Ritterbusch, Associates Locations: Ras Behar, Egypt, Galena , Illinois

July 28 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped in Asian trade on Friday but were on track for a fifth straight week of gains following strong economic data in the U.S., and on speculation over Chinese stimulus measures and OPEC+ output cuts. Brent crude fell 42 cents, or 0.5%, to $83.82 a barrel by 0404 GMT, but was on track for a weekly 3.5% increase. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 34 cents, or 0.4%, to $79.75 a barrel, but were heading for a 3.6% weekly increase. But recent interest rate increases from global central banks seeking to tame stubborn inflation raised questions about long term demand. Earlier this week oil fell after data showed U.S. crude inventories fell less than expected.

Persons: Brent, Jerome Powell's, Baden Moore, Jim Ritterbusch, Laura Sanicola, Andrew Hayley, Lincoln, Sonali Paul Organizations: . West Texas, Commerce Department, Federal, Organization of, Petroleum, bbl, National Australia Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Ritterbusch, Associates, Thomson Locations: U.S, 3Q23, Saudi, Galena , Illinois, Washington, Beijing

Distillate stocks have increased slightly from last year when they were just 113 million barrels, but otherwise they are at the lowest level for the time of year since 2004. The actual and prospective tightness of diesel supplies has started to draw interest from hedge funds and other investors. There have been increases in both U.S. diesel (+27 million barrels) and European gas oil (+49 million barrels) over the period. Adjusted for inflation, U.S. heating oil prices were close to the long-term average in June (48th percentile for all months since 1990). But if the economy avoids a recession, diesel prices could escalate relatively rapidly.

Persons: Stocks, John Kemp, Paul Simao Organizations: U.S . Energy Information Administration, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Chartbook, U.S, Europe, Singapore

July 4 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday as markets weighed supply cuts for August by top exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia against the backdrop of an uncertain global economic outlook. Instead, the uncertain macro outlook is what the market is focused on," ING analysts said in a client note. Saudi Arabia on Monday said it would extend its voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) from output to August, the kingdom's state news agency reported. The cuts amount to 1.5% of global supply and bring the total pledged by OPEC+ oil producers to 5.16 million bpd as Riyadh and Moscow look to prop up prices. However, the weaker economic growth demand still suggests demand for merchandise remains weak, which would weigh on distillates consumption, ANZ analysts said in a client note.

Persons: Brent, Alexander Novak, Morgan, Arathy Somasekhar, Trixie Yap, Tom Hogue, Gerry Doyle Organizations: . West Texas, ING, bbl, OPEC, of, Petroleum, U.S, ANZ, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Russia, U.S, Riyadh, Moscow, China, Europe, Houston, Singapore

July 4 (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady early on Tuesday as markets weighed supply woes from cuts for August by top exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia against mixed analyst views on economic data that could hint at weak crude demand. Instead, the uncertain macro outlook is what the market is focused on," ING analysts said in a client note. Saudi Arabia on Monday said it would extend its voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) from output to August, the kingdom's state news agency reported. Russia will also reduce its oil exports by 500,000 bpd in August, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said. The cuts amount to 1.5% of global supply and bring the total pledged by OPEC+ oil producers to 5.16 million bpd as Riyadh and Moscow look to prop up prices.

Persons: Brent, Alexander Novak, Morgan, Arathy Somasekhar, Trixie Yap, Tom Hogue, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, ING, bbl, OPEC, of, Petroleum, U.S, ANZ, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Russia, U.S, Riyadh, Moscow, China, Europe, Houston, Singapore

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturers reported another widespread decline in business activity during June, which continued to weigh down industrial energy consumption and prices. Chartbook: U.S. industrial energy useThe forward-looking new orders component rose to 45.6 (9th percentile) in June up from 42.6 (6th percentile) in May but was still down from 49.2 (19th percentile) a year ago. ENERGY CONSUMPTIONIndustrial energy consumption is closely correlated with the manufacturing and freight cycle. Softness in diesel and electricity consumption is consistent with the moderate but persistent downturn in manufacturing evident in ISM surveys since the middle of 2022. It has helped take some of the pressure off diesel and electricity supplies and reversed the previous upward trend in prices.

Persons: John Kemp, David Holmes Organizations: Institute, Supply, Business, Institute for Supply Management, Manufacturers, U.S . Energy Information, Thomson, Reuters Locations: U.S, United States, doldrums

Hedge funds and other money managers sold the equivalent of 64 million barrels in the six most important petroleum-related futures and options contracts in the seven days ending June 27. Essentially all the sales were concentrated in crude contracts split evenly between Brent (-31 million barrels) and NYMEX and ICE WTI (-33 million barrels). Fund managers had accumulated 136 million barrels of gross short positions in NYMEX WTI, the most since 2017. The slump in WTI positions is likely being intensified by contract changes which have seen WTI crude grades added to the Brent futures contract. From a positioning perspective, extreme pessimism towards crude prices and lopsided positions are creating potential for an explosive rally in future.

Persons: Alexander Manzyuk, Brent, John Kemp, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, OPEC ⁺, ICE, ICE WTI, Fund, Global, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brent, NYMEX WTI, North America, Europe, China, U.S, Iran, Venezuela, distillates

☆ Berkshire Hathaway sells $86.3 mln worth of shares in China's BYD
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Portfolio investors were small buyers of crude oil and distillates last week but overall their positions have not changed in the last three months as concerns about the health of the global economy offset lean inventories.

Hedge funds and other money managers purchased the equivalent of 25 million barrels in the six most important petroleum futures and options contracts over the seven days ending on June 20. The combined position was 346 million barrels (12th percentile for all weeks since 2013) which was essentially unchanged from 350 million barrels on March 28 after the eruption of the U.S. regional banking crisis. Chartbook: Oil and gas positionsIn the most recent week, funds bought Brent (+16 million barrels), NYMEX and ICE WTI (+5 million) and European gas oil (+9 million) but sold U.S. gasoline (-2 million) and U.S. diesel (-4 million). The position in crude (268 million barrels, 8th percentile) is basically unchanged since late March and the position in middle distillates (22 million barrels, 29th percentile) is unchanged since early April. But economic growth is decelerating across North America, Europe and China, dampening expected consumption of oil.

Persons: John Kemp, Mark Potter Organizations: U.S, Brent, ICE, U.S . diesel, Funds, Saudi, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Saudi Arabia, distillates, OPEC, North America, Europe, China, U.S

☆ US crude inventories post surprise draw, fuel stocks rise, EIA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) fell by 3.8 million barrels to 463.3 million barrels in the week to June 16, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 300,000-barrel rise. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub (USOICC=ECI) fell 98,000 barrels, EIA said. U.S. crude oil exports climbed to 4.5 million barrels per day last week, while imports fell about 50% to 1.6 million barrels per day. "A rebound in crude exports, dip in imports, and ongoing strength in refining activity have encouraged a draw to crude inventories," said Matt Smith, a lead oil analyst at Kpler. Refinery crude runs (USOICR=ECI) fell by 116,000 barrels per day in the last week, EIA said.

Persons: Andrew Lipow, Matt Smith, Arathy Somasekhar, Stephanie Kelly, Jan Harvey Organizations: Energy Information Administration, Cushing, . West Texas, Brent, Lipow Oil Associates, EIA, Thomson Locations: Oklahoma, Houston . U.S, U.S, Houston, New York

Hedge funds and other money managers sold the equivalent of 21 million barrels of crude oil options and futures but purchased 18 million barrels of products, including 14 million of distillates, over the week ending on June 13. The biggest rotation has been from U.S. crude to European gas oil, reflecting the rise in crude inventories in the United States while stocks of distillates, used heavily in Europe, remain well below normal around the world. The most recent weekly increase in gas oil positions was the largest for almost two years since August 2021 and before that November 2020. Funds had already built a fairly sizeable position in U.S. diesel and now bullishness is starting to spill over into European gas oil. U.S. commercial crude oil inventories were 16 million barrels (+4% or +0.28 standard deviations) above the prior ten-year seasonal average on June 9.

Persons: ”, John Kemp, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: ICE, Funds, diesel, Saudi, Thomson, Reuters Locations: United States, Europe, NYMEX, U.S, Freeport LNG, Saudi

Distillate fuel oils such as diesel and gas oil are mostly used for freight transport, manufacturing, construction and construction, with smaller quantities for residential and commercial heating. At the same time, Russia has continued to export distillate fuel oil despite sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union averting a severe supply disruption. The gross margin for making European gas oil from Brent (both delivered in December 2023) fell to $114 per tonne from $254 over the same period. In the United States, stocks had risen by +5 million barrels since June 2022 but were still -22 million barrels (-16% or -1.18 standard deviations) below the 10-year seasonal average. Portfolio investors lifted their combined futures and options position in distillates to 3 million barrels net long (20th percentile for all weeks since 2013) on June 6, up from 27 million net short (6th percentile) on May 2.

Persons: paring, John Kemp, David Evans Organizations: European Union, U.S, Global, Thomson, Reuters Locations: North America, Europe, Russia, United States, European, Brent, Singapore, distillates, U.S

LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - Portfolio investors had become increasingly bearish about the outlook for oil prices in the run up to the meeting of the extended OPEC⁺ group of oil exporters on June 3-4. The combined position had been reduced to 296 million barrels (7th percentile for all weeks since 2013) down from 534 million (39th percentile) six weeks earlier. Heavy sales of NYMEX and ICE WTI (-50 million barrels) more than offset significant buying of ICE Brent (+23 million). Hedge funds and other money managers sold the equivalent of 140 billion cubic feet over the seven days ending on May 30, according to regulatory data. The surplus was essentially unchanged from a surplus of +266 billion cubic feet (+15% or +0.61 standard deviations) in early March.

Persons: ”, John Kemp, David Evans Organizations: OPEC ⁺, ICE, U.S ., Investors, Thomson, Reuters Locations: OPEC, WTI, Saudi Arabia, U.S

Hedge funds and other money managers purchased the equivalent of 43 million barrels in the six most important petroleum futures and options contracts over the seven days ending on May 23. In the most recent week, funds bought crude (+26 million barrels), middle distillates such as U.S. diesel and European gas oil (+6 million) and light distillates such as gasoline (+11 million). Positions are much more bearish on crude (275 million barrels net long, 8th percentile) and middle distillates (3 million barrels net short, 16th percentile). U.S. NATURAL GASInvestors became slightly more bullish towards U.S. gas prices as the downturn in drilling activity was expected eventually to erode still-high inventories. The net position increased to 241 billion cubic feet net long (37th percentile for all weeks since 2010) up from 1,061 billion cubic feet net short (7th percentile) at the end of January 2023.

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