A Bloomberg Quicktake explains a global diesel supply crunch driven by Persian Gulf refinery outages, Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, and lower Chinese runs. Diesel prices remain high despite crude pullbacks, and refinery margins are the key driver, likely to stay elevated even if oil drops, threatening further transportation cost increases.
- Over 70% of goods are transported by diesel in the US, making it critical to agriculture, construction, mining, and distribution.
- A global diesel shortage is fueled by Persian Gulf refinery disruptions, Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, and reduced Chinese refinery output.
- Diesel prices have remained elevated even during crude oil pullbacks and US-Iran truces.
- The average on-highway diesel price was $5.31, up from $3.53 a year ago.
- Refinery margins are the dominant driver of diesel prices this time, not crude oil.
- The diesel supply squeeze is expected to keep margins high even if oil prices decline, posing challenges for the transportation sector.