AMERICAS OIL: Tariffs Could Cut Refinery Throughput by 10%: Valero
Valero is well-positioned to find alternative crude sources if the US imposes a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, but this could reduce throughputs by 10%, its COO Gary Simmons said, cited by Argus.
- Valero's USGC refineries can source feedstocks globally, but limits on heavy feedstock alternatives could impact product production.
- President Trump has threatened tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports, but Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick suggested they might not be imposed if border security cooperation improves.
- US refiners, not foreign suppliers, would pay the tariffs; whether Canadian crude prices fall enough to offset the tariff would depend on market dynamics and Alberta's response.
- Valero, which reported record high heavy sour crude throughputs in Q4 2024, will adapt as needed, Simmons said.
- The company processed an average of 608k b/d of heavy sour crude in Q4, up from 485k b/d on the year, demonstrating its flexibility in crude sourcing capabilities, Valero said.
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COMMODITIES: WTI Futures, Gold Holding Higher
WTI futures are trading higher today as the contract extends recent gains. A stronger reversal to the upside would refocus attention on key short-term resistance at $76.41, the Oct 8 high. Initial firm resistance is unchanged at $71.97. A bear threat in Gold remains present. The yellow metal traded sharply lower on Dec 18 and the move undermines a recent bull theme. A resumption of weakness would open key support at $2536.9, the Nov 14 low.
- WTI Crude up $0.9 or +1.27% at $71.88
- Natural Gas down $0.32 or -8.13% at $3.618
- Gold spot up $19.24 or +0.74% at $2625.86
- Copper down $6.95 or -1.7% at $402.3
- Silver down $0.1 or -0.34% at $28.8383
- Platinum up $3.96 or +0.44% at $908.02
US STOCKS: Late Equity Roundup: Tech & Interactive Media Sectors Underperforming
- Stocks are trading near session lows after reversing early session gains. Though off this year's record highs (SPX Eminis 6178.75, DJIA 45,073.63, Nasdaq 20,204.58) major averages will finish the year with double digit gains: SPX Eminis +19.5%, DJIA +13.1%, while the Nasdaq gained 29.9%!
- Currently, the DJIA trades down 92.19 points (-0.22%) at 42474.46, S&P E-Minis down 28 points (-0.47%) at 5929.75, Nasdaq down 147 points (-0.8%) at 19337.13.
- Information Technology and Communication Services shares underperformed continued to underperform late Tuesday, shares of software and semiconductor makers weighing on the tech sector: Nvidia -1.61%, Advanced Micro Devices -1.36%, Crowdstrike Holdings -1.28%.
- Interactive media and entertainment shares weighed on the Communication Services sector: Alphabet -0.9%, Live Nation -0.76%, Netflix -0.60%, Meta -0.41%.
- On the positive side, Energy and Materials sectors outperformed in the second half, oil & gas stocks buoyed the Energy sector as crude prices continued to rise (WTI +1.0 at 71.99): APA Corp +3.59%, Marathon Petroleum +2.46%, Occidental Petroleum +2.15%.
- Meanwhile, shares of chemical & fertilizer makers supported the Materials sector: Mosaic +2.44%, Celanese +1.42%, Dow +1.37%.
- Looking ahead, the next round of quarterly earnings kicks off mid-January with Blackrock, Bank of NY Melon, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, US Bancorp, M&T Bank and PNC all reporting between January 13-16.
STIR: FED Reverse Repo Year-End Operation Usage Jumps to Late June Level
RRP usage surged to the highest level since June 28 into year end: $473.460B this afternoon from $260.743B Monday. Compares to $98.356B on Friday, December 20 - the lowest level since mid-April 2021. The number of counterparties jumped to 80 from 57 prior.
