October 28th 2019

YOUR WEEKLY JOLT
Happy almost Halloween! Whether you spent the weekend carving your Jack-O’-Lanterns or finalizing the details on your kid’s (or your own) costume, All Hallows’ Eve affords even grown-ups a chance to dress up and play pretend, and to sneak a few sweets treats along the way. By the way, whatever happened to the standard carving of two triangle eyes, an inverted triangle nose, and a zig-zag mouth to make our Jack’s?

Now for this week’s jolt, which we hope will bring you more treats, and less tricks. And certainly no rocks. Poor Charlie Brown… Enjoy!

Heating Oil

  • Prompt-month heating oil futures increased 1.67% for the week ending Friday, 10/25, as prices rose $0.0325 per gallon.
  • On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude futures for delivery in November closed at $56.66 per barrel on Friday, 10/25, up 1.05% for the day, and up 5.18% for the week.

Why so crude? Crude oil prices rose significantly last week but fell on Monday, trading around $56 a barrel. Investors reacted bullishly to an announcement from the U.S. Energy Information Administration of a 1.7 million barrel drop in domestic crude stockpiles versus an expected build of 2.2 million barrels. The EIA also reported recent decreases in stockpiles of gasoline and distillates as refiners’ run rates fell to lower levels because of plant closures. Reports hinting that OPEC may consider more aggressive production cuts at their meeting in December also supported the market. The Baker Hughes oil rig count fell last week, going from 713 to 696 and indicating decreased domestic production.

Natural Gas

  • Prompt-month natural gas futures decreased $0.02 for the week ending Friday, 10/25, to settle at $2.30/Dth.
  • Overall supply increased by 0.5 Bcf from the previous week. Total demand increased by 1.5 Bcf.
  • Natural gas exports in July 2019 were 391,082 million cubic feet, compared with 305,997 million cubic feet in July 2018. This is a 27.81% increase.
  • Net injections into storage totaled 87 Bcf, compared with the 5 year average net injections of 73 Bcf and last year’s net injections of 62 Bcf during the same week.
  • Working gas stocks total 3,606 Bcf, coming in 28 Bcf more than the five-year average and 519 Bcf more than last year at this time.

6% Jump! A forecast for cool weather in the US has given a big lift to natural gas prices. Gas prices are down about 25% from a year ago but up more than 6% today with the NOAA forecasting colder-than-normal temperatures in the US from Nov 2-6. – Fore X Live

Electricity

  • Average peak prices in NYC increased last week, rising $4.47 to $24.28 per MWh.
  • Average peak prices in New Jersey’s PSE&G increased, rising $0.96 to $24.75 per MWh.
  • Average peak prices in Central NY’s Zone C increased, rising $1.05 to $21.47 per MWh.
  • Calendar 2020 prices in NYC decreased $0.06 per MWh, and PSE&G prices decreased $0.04 per MWh.
  • Calendar 2020 prices in Zone C decreased $0.08 per MWh.

It’s Energy Awareness Month! October is National Energy Awareness Month, a national effort to highlight the importance of energy—namely electricity—in our modern economy. – Energy.gov

Technology

The Iconic Motorola Walkie-talkie Is Entering The Smartphone Age – Image: Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions is releasing a new version of its APX radio for first responders that adds a touchscreen and voice control support to the device for the first time. The APX Next can connect over LTE in addition to offering a walkie-talkie’s standard LMR (land mobile radio) connectivity, and it can even transmit an officer’s location data directly to a dispatcher. – The Verge

And, we have one last random fact for you: Candy Joules! How much energy can you cram into your Halloween candy? Use math to help you decide. – Wired

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