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Market Close: Jan 31 Down

Fueling Strategy: Please partial fill ONLY tonight, Saturday prices will drop 6.5 cents then Sunday look for prices to drop 1.50 cents  – Be Safe Today
NYMEX Crude    $ 51.56 DN $.5800
NYMEX ULSD     $1.6245 DN $.0151
NYMEX Gas       $1.4887 DN $.0050
NEWS
Oil prices fell on Friday and were on track for a fourth consecutive weekly loss, as markets grew more concerned about the economic damage of the new coronavirus that has spread from China to around 20 countries, killing more than 200 people. Brent crude fell 21 cents to $58.08 per barrel. WTI crude crude fell 58 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $51.56. WTI posted a fourth straight week of losses, and it was the contract’s worst month since May.

Disruptions in supply chains and travel curbs are expected to weigh on China’s economy, prompting economists to temper their growth expectations for the world’s second-largest economy. Investment bank Goldman Sachs said on Friday the coronavirus outbreak is likely to hit China’s economic growth by 0.4 percentage point in 2020 and will potentially drag the U.S. economy lower as well. The virus outbreak could cut China’s oil demand by more than 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first quarter of this year, analysts said. Saudi Arabia has opened a discussion about moving an upcoming policy meeting to early February from March to address the impact of coronavirus on crude demand. “In our view, there still remains considerable uncertainty on the duration and economic impact of the virus,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, global oil strategist at BNP Paribas in London. “As such, we are not sure what an emergency February OPEC meeting could effectively deliver other than the usual words of reassurance to the market that producers will act to balance the market.”

China’s New Year’s holiday was due to end on Friday, when many companies planned to get back to work after a week-long vacation, but authorities have ordered businesses in many areas to stay shut longer in a bid to contain the disease. Growth in Chinas factory activity faltered in January. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 50.0 from 50.2 in December, Chinas National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Friday. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.

A Reuters poll on Friday showed that oil prices will remain supported near current levels this year as political risks and OPEC-led output curbs help offset growing supply. The poll of 50 economists and analysts was conducted mainly before the new coronavirus outbreak. The WHO said late Thursday that the coronavirus outbreak was a global emergency, but calmed the markets by opposing travel restrictions. It said Chinese actions so far will “reverse the tide” of its spread. “The move has stoked optimism that there may be light at the end of the virus tunnel. This is because the declaration should pave the way for a coordinated international response to control the global spread of the disease,” said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. However, Brennock added that oil prices will remain vulnerable to downward pressures “until China reverses the virus tide”.

Have a Great Day,
Loren R Bailey, President
Fuel Manager Services Inc.
Office: 479-846-2761
Cell: 479-790-5581
Categories: Fuel News
loren: Fuel Manager Services Inc. "Serving the trucking industry since 1992" I've been in and around the trucking industry for 45-years beginning in owner operator operations at Willis Shaw Express. I bought a small trucking company that I ran for 6-years then sold and went to work for J.B. Hunt Transport in 1982. After 10-years with Hunt, I started Fuel Manager Services, Inc., we are in our 29th year of serving the American trucking companies. Our simple goal was and is to bridge the gap between the trucking companies and the fuel suppliers.