Tide turns for middle distillates

Strong prices for middle distillates might persist due to a range of supply and demand factors

Dated Brent reached $100/bl in mid-February, exposing refiners to a new set of challenges for the year ahead, including crude procurement, managing high operating costs—due to high natural gas and carbon prices—and the need to address growing product demand. At the same time, jet fuel margins show strong signs of recovery and gasoil/diesel balances appear set to tighten even further. The key themes in product markets last year were the strength of gasoline and refiners opting to blend surplus jet fuel into the diesel pool, while 2022 has ushered in a new set of challenges and opportunities for refiners. The most notable of these has been the rally in middle distillates. Several factors have