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Fueling Strategy: Please fill as needed tonight, Be Safe!
NYMEX Crude      $   50.00 UP $.3900
NYMEX ULSD        $1.8398 DN $.0292
NYMEX Crude     $1.8747 DN $.0072
Reminder: For the BEST fuel additive (more parts per million of active ingredient) go www.FuelManagerServices.com then click on additive link –
NEWS

Crude-oil futures settled higher on Monday, with prices finding footing at $50 a barrel after steep declines late last week due to a stronger dollar and rising U.S. oil supplies. Natural-gas prices, meanwhile, took a big hit with demand for the heating fuel expected to decline amid forecasts for warmer U.S. weather.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for delivery in April climbed 39 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $50 a barrel after tallying a decline of 3.8% over the past two trading sessions. Brent crude oil for April delivery on London’s ICE Futures exchange fell $1.20, or 2%, to settle at $58.53 a barrel. WTI oil has “held up considering the fact that the dollar index hit an 11-year high and the fact that inventories stand at the highest level in 80 years,” said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at Price Futures Group. For now, “the oil market is still trying to get a grip after the strong U.S. jobs number sent the dollar index on a tear,” he said in a note. But with the U.S. now on track to raise rates this summer and the European Central Bank buying German bonds to start their quantitative easing Monday, “the divergence of fortunes is creating currency-market headwinds for commodity prices.” “While you can’t fight the Fed or the value of the dollar, truth is that with over half the globe stimulating its economy and the U.S. growth set to continue, it should bode well for oil demand,” Flynn added. Natural-gas prices dropped “as temperatures across much of the U.S. for the next ten days are set to be above normal, shooing away heating demand,” said Matt Smith, commodity analyst at Schneider Electric.

In oil-related news Monday, Goldman Sachs said it expected oil futures to stay low longer but noted that its earlier forecast for $40 oil may be too low. And over the weekend, China released trade data for February, which showed that the country’s crude-oil imports during the month rose 11% on year to 25.55 million tons. On Sunday, Abdalla Salem el-Badri, the secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said lower oil prices were hurting the U.S. shale industry and a global pullback on investment could lead to a shortage that boosts oil prices.