Refinery margins are expected to recover this summer
Summer sun set to shine on European refining
The warmer months ahead promise margins upside
A surge in summer driving and flying will be welcome news for European refineries. Oil product margins, especially jet fuel, have borne the brunt of low demand during the pandemic but should see a recovery as vaccines and fewer restrictions bring people out of their homes. More people should be travelling—most likely by road, initially, but also by plane as air corridors re-open—boosting consumption of transport fuels. Europeans also have money to spend, as lockdowns led to ballooning savings. The eurozone’s household savings rate (the share of a household’s income going to savings) reached record highs at the end of 2020, according to statistics body Eurostat. $1.70/bl – OMV’s Q1 Euro
Also in this section
15 May 2025
Financial problems, lack of exploration success and political dogma cause uncertainty across much of the region
14 May 2025
The invisible hand of the market has seen increasing transparency but much more needs to be done to build a better understanding
13 May 2025
A fall in Venezuelan output drives overall production lower, as Saudi Arabia starts to slowly bring more crude to the market
12 May 2025
With the gas industry’s staunchest advocates and opponents taking brutal blows, the sector looks like treading a path of insipid indifference
