RBOB Gasoline: Understanding One of the Most Important Commodities in the World

From an investing perspective, RBOB gas is important because it’s the benchmark for gasoline futures. Additionally, RBOB gas prices move before the price at the pump moves. So this may give you some insight into what retail gas prices will be in a few days. Distillate is also traded globally and priced in various regions around the world. Like the disparity in
gasoline prices, the disparity in distillate prices primarily reflects differences in quality, primary uses,
seasonal consumption, and local market factors. Brent crude oil is one of several types of light sweet crude oil that serves as the global benchmark for crude oil.

• Like any other commodity, natural gas is influenced by the forces of supply and demand.
• After it is distilled from petroleum, RBOB is blended with ethanol to produce reformulated gasoline.
• The list of symbols included on the page is updated every 10 minutes throughout the trading day.
• You are advised to perform an independent investigation of any transaction to determine whether any transaction is suitable for you.
• Seasonal pollution requirements for gasoline can also lead to disparities in pricing as can weather-related disruptions to refinery operations.

In this guide to understanding RBOB gasoline as a commodity, we’ll explain why it’s valuable, how and where it’s made, which countries produce the most gasoline, and explain what drives its price. Traders venturing into the futures market for the first time need to consider the inherent risks… Like any other commodity, natural gas is influenced by the forces of supply and demand. The most prolific uses of RBOB gasoline is as fuel for various products such as cars, lawn mowers, generators, pressure washers, and many other common household appliances.

Where Can I Trade Energy Commodities?

It is common because it is considered better for the environment and is required in some areas. Much of the U.S. gasoline supply comes from refineries in the Gulf Coast region. As a result, weather events or supply congestion in that area can cause short-term delays or price spikes. RBOB is Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenated Blending, a mix of petrochemicals intended to be mixed with ethanol to produce finished motor gasoline. Crude oil is composed of a number of different hydrocarbons, or long chains of molecules. Longer chains make heavier hydrocarbons, as well as higher boiling points.

These funds tend to have relatively stable share prices, and higher than average yields. Lawsuits continued, and oil companies asked for transition assistance in the form of $2 billion and liability protection while they phased out MTBE. That request did not survive congressional review, and the lack of MTBE liability protection quickly brought an end to its use. In the wake of a number of costly lawsuits, California and New York banned the use of MTBE in 2004. By the end of 2005, over half the states had passed legislation banning the use of MTBE.

What drives petroleum product prices: Prices and Crack Spreads

The lightest components, such as gasoline rise to the top while the heaviest components, such as residual oil, fall to the bottom. Light components include gasoline, which is condensed from a gas back into a liquid. Starting March 1, RBOB futures prices tend to increase several cents
from February averages to reflect the higher valued commodity. The how to buy polkacity crack spread continues to remain fairly high through the late spring and into the summer months as the
U.S. driving season picks up, resulting in higher domestic demand for the product. On September 1, the underlying
commodity of the RBOB front month contract reverts back to a higher RVP specification, representing a lower-cost
gasoline.

No part of this material may be copied, photocopied or duplicated in any form by any means or redistributed without the prior written consent of StoneX Group Inc. RBOB is an acronym for “Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygen Blending”. This type of gasoline is used as the benchmark for gasoline trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Book adjustments may be reported in summary by a set of book adjustments at the end of the filing period or in detail at the time of product disbursement. Since the spring of 2013, the underlying commodity for the distillate futures contract has been ultra-low
sulfur diesel (ULSD), a distillate with sulfur content of less than 15 parts per million (ppm). CME Group’s RBOB contract offers a way for investors to profit or hedge against one’s outlook on crude oil, weather, consumer behavior and regulatory action in terms of current and future energy consumption. Since both producers of WTI and Brent compete for the same refiners as customers, the spread between the two oils is an important metrics for refiners. WTI is quoted on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for pickup in Cushing Oklahoma. This area is landlocked and therefore requires shipment via pipeline or rail.

November WTI oil loses $1.97, or 2.2%, to settle at $88.82/bbl on Nymex

To create this quote, RBOB gasoline is converted into US dollars per barrel. This can be accomplished by multiplying RBOB gasoline by 42, which converts the cents per gallon quote into a US dollars per barrel quote. You can then subtract the price of Brent crude oil from the price of RBOB gasoline to derive the crack spread. The RBOB gasoline futures contract is settled by physical delivery. This means most investors want to liquidate positions prior to the expiration of the contracts. If a position is not liquidated, the holder of a long contract might be responsible for taking delivery of 42,000 gallons of gasoline.

You’d have to go all the way back to 2002 to find data points representing the EUR/USD conversion rate that start with a zero to the left of the decimal point. Short, timely articles with graphics on energy, facts, issues, and trends. Comprehensive data summaries, comparisons, analysis, and projections integrated across all energy sources. In the lead-up to summer, prices tend to rise in anticipation of peak driving season.

An important factor to understand about gasoline is its octane rating. Internal combustion engines, like those found in automobiles, burn fuel in controlled processes. beginners guide to investments in renewable energy The higher the octane rating, the higher the compression rate, with a more efficient fuel capable of a higher output than those with a lower octane rating.

Refining Costs and Profits

Say you want to buy an RBOB contract when the price is around $2.30 per gallon. That means you only need 12% of the total trading time zones investment down to buy the contract on margin. RBOB gas is a grade of gasoline commonly used in the United States.

Why is RBOB gas important?

Crack spreads are a way to measure the margins for refining crude products and can serve to predict how tight the supply of products is in different markets. RBOB is more expensive to refine—more energy and more effort are required to pull some of the additional hydrocarbons out of the fuel. Producing reformulated gasoline using ethanol presents problems for refiners. Ethanol affects nitrogen oxides (NOx) and toxic emissions as well as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

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Also unique to Barchart, Flipcharts allow you to scroll through all the symbols on the table in a chart view. While viewing Flipcharts, you can apply a custom chart template, further customizing the way you can analyze the symbols. End-of-Day prices are updated at 8pm CST each evening, and includes the previous session volume and open interest information.

For this example, 100,000 gallons of natural gasoline (PC 061) is included in the June 2017 ending inventory of 300,000 gallons of Blending components, other (PC 122) last reported to ExSTARS. In order to convert this inventory to the new PC, the terminal reports BA disbursements (15B) of 100,000 gallons from PC 122 to reflect a reduction in inventory. A corresponding BA receipt (15A) of 100,000 gallons into PC 061 is made to reflect the inventory of the new PC 061 for natural gasoline. The All Futures page lists all open contracts for the commodity you’ve selected. Intraday futures prices are delayed 10 minutes, per exchange rules, and are listed in CST.

Electricity generators and emergency power supplies also use gasoline. The company is comprised of four Designated Contract Markets (DCMs). Further information on each exchange’s rules and product listings can be found by clicking on the links to CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX. Trading in a current delivery month will cease on the last business day of the month preceding the delivery month. When it comes to crude consumption, the U.S. uses more than the next four highest consumers combined.

It is acceptable to make a single book adjustment at the end of the filing period for the total amount of the ethanol (PC E10) blended at the rack and disbursed. The PC inventory of ethanol (PC E00) and can also be further blended with CBOB (PC 301) or RBOB (PC 302) to create other ethanol mixtures such as E05 or E15 for additional terminal disbursements. Reporting of the new gasoline blending component PCs may result in the need to report book adjustments. RBOB deliveries shall comply with State and Federal requirements for oxygen content for RBOB sold for consumption as are in effect at the time and place of delivery.