A Crack in the Rock of Gibraltar - Crazy Pricing for Mont Belvieu Propane Obliterates Hedges

13/11/2024 19 min
A Crack in the Rock of Gibraltar - Crazy Pricing for Mont Belvieu Propane Obliterates Hedges

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Episode Synopsis

Exactly the same product. Exactly the same day. In storage very nearby. Yet their prices diverged by 17 cents per gallon — a spread equivalent to $7 per barrel. That’s a very substantial difference for prices that typically are almost indistinguishable, differing by an average of only 0.3% in recent years. The disparity roiled the financial underpinnings of exports for over a month and busted numerous inventory hedges. Is this some rare commodity? Hardly. It’s Mont Belvieu propane, the Rock of Gibraltar benchmark propane price in the U.S., and to a great extent around the world. But during October there was a crack in that rock a mile wide. 

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