Welcome to the Fuel Matters Blog

The US election is a mere 3 weeks away and most experts agree that oil will remain on steady ground until after the election is decided. Covid-19, renewables, and consumer behaviors have brought crude to the brink several times since March. The US Shale industry has been forced to endure the worst market conditions in crude history over the past 6 months. Most recently, crude has spiked and leveled off several times in the last couple weeks, but analysts believe it should remain trading between $40-$43/bbl through the election.

Climate change continues to be a hot topic in both the US and the world over. You can’t discuss climate change without the terms greenhouse gasses (GHG’s) and fossil fuels. In one hand you have fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses, and in the other you have renewables. Energy and transportation are two leading causes of GHG’s. Fossil Fuels have traditionally powered both, but renewables have been gaining traction, and quickly. Covid-19 and the OPEC+ fallout earlier this year hit the energy and transportation industries especially hard. In the transportation industry, renewables don’t come in the traditional form as it does in the energy sector where we see water, wind, and solar. Instead, renewables come in the form of electric, hybrids, and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV’s). There is a lot of dis/misinformation regarding this topic so we will take a small, broad look into some data of the newest wave of technology, PHEV’s.

Oil and gas explorations remain sluggish and failing to rebound as expected. At $40+ a barrel and positive market indicator would historically promote conditions for the industry to recover, however there has been no indication of a recovery to speak of. The new normal seems to be a slim, budget conscious, and efficient industry soup to nuts.

Covid-19 is still having a lasting impact, gripping the US economy some 5 months after it reared its ugly head. This time it is targeting the US housing market. With 44 million Americans still unemployed, many unable to pay rent and utilities, and temporary eviction bans set to lift, the US faces an eviction catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock since February 2020, you’ve probably noticed the economic impact worldwide of the novel corona-virus, Covid-19. There has been little to no positive news even as Governors ease restrictions and states/counties move from red to yellow to green phases, until the May 2020 unemployment rates were released days ago. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May saw an increase of 2.5 million jobs and an unemployment rate of 13.3%, down from April’s 14.7%. This number came as a overwhelmingly positive shock as most experts had predicted it to increase to near 20%, the worst figure since the Great Depression.[1]