After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Texas A&M University with a Masters in Financial Management in 2022, Liz took her talents to Shell Trading. At Shell, she worked as a crude trade analyst for the Gulf Coast Bulk desk, managing daily, quarterly, and annual P&L reporting, exposure hedging, and export analysis. Liz also worked as a commercial operator for the Offshore Lease desk, where she managed 5 terminals and coordinated the scheduling of gathering and inland barges transporting crude oil throughout Louisiana’s waterways. In her spare time, Liz enjoys traveling and exploring caves across the southern US. Her goals outside of work include getting cave rescue certified and scuba certified. If you ever jam out with Liz, you will quickly learn she has been a Swiftie since the 6th grade, but also has The Beatles, Hozier, and Evanescence on repeat. As a classical music lover, Liz enjoys attending the Houston Symphony, and always dresses with a theme due to her passion for fashion.
Posts by Liz Dicken
Basket Case – The $100/bbl Diesel Crack, or How 2026 Exposed the Fragility of Global Refining
For many, 2026 will be remembered as the year that diesel cracks topped the century mark ($100/bbl) for the first time, surpassing even the post-COVID boom year of 2022. Today, we examine the various factors driving this run-up and what they reveal about the broader physical refined products market.
Diesel Squeeze Deepens as Inventories Keep Falling
According to the EIA’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report (WPSR) released this morning, distillate stocks are on track for their lowest end-of-month level since April 2005; and this week marks the lowest inventories have been in the month of August since 1951.
After a Five-Month Hiatus, U.S. Crude Returns to Nigeria
U.S. Gulf Coast crude is returning to Nigeria after a roughly five-month absence, with two Aframax cargoes loaded for the Dangote refinery in Lekki.
Running on Fumes: Diesel Crack Flirts With $100/bbl Milestone
The diesel crack has become a key focal point for the market. After surging more than 11% last week to $92.75/bbl, 264% above year-ago levels, it pushed to a record $99.125/bbl yesterday, bringing the $100/bbl mark within striking distance.
Houston Crude Exports Strengthen as European Demand Pulls Barrels Across the Atlantic
Gulf Coast crude exports rose 20% week-over-week to 3.6 MMb/d, but the more telling development was the renewed strength in Houston. Enterprise Houston loadings increased 21% to 786 Mb/d, while Seaway Freeport returned to the export market for the first time in eight weeks.