As the year 2020 wears on, it seems that every month brings a new surprise. In August, in addition to the ongoing pandemic and protests, a major hurricane was added to the mix. What comes next is anybody’s guess. A zombie apocalypse? An alien invasion? At this point, the possibilities seem boundless. And the energy industry has been no stranger to this year’s turmoil, what with COVID-related demand destruction, an oil-price collapse, and production shut-ins. Amidst the chaos, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that for the first time, private-sector energy companies would be allowed to store crude oil in the U.S.’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which resulted in the leasing of 23 MMbbl of capacity. Recently, those volumes have begun to be drawn back out. Today, we examine the factors influencing movements of crude oil into and out of the U.S. SPR.
Bio:
Liz Dicken is a graduate student pursuing her Masters of Financial Management at Texas A&M University. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with her BBA in Finance from Texas A&M University in May of 2020. Liz worked as a strategic analysis intern at ARM Energy in the summer of 2020. She is a member of Class XI of Mays Business School’s TRIP (Trading, Risk & Investments Program).
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