For the first time since late September 2013, the ratio of crude oil to natural gas (CME/NYMEX) futures on Friday hit 30X. That means the price of crude oil in $/bbl was 30 times the price of natural gas in $/MMBtu. Such a wide disparity in the value of the liquid hydrocarbon versus the gaseous hydrocarbon has huge implications for where producers will be drilling, the proportion of associated and wet gas that will be produced, the outlook for NGL production, and a host of other energy market developments. The ratio has been moving higher for the past couple of years, and recently has been boosted by the combined impact of increased tension in the Middle East (higher oil prices) and a warm winter so far in many of the largest gas-burning population centers in the U.S (lower gas prices). But it’s pretty likely that the trend will be with us for the long term. So today, we’ll begin a series that looks at the implications of this price relationship.
Ratio Ga Ga? Crude-to-Gas Ratio Hits Six-Year High of 30X – Ramifications for Oil, Gas and NGLs
