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Orange juice: Will Brazil make up for the decline in US supply?

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11 år sedan

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2 april, 2014

The plant disease citrus greening and the aridity in important growing regions currently determine the price movements also on the market for frozen concentrated orange juice. In the US, production of oranges and orange juice is expected to decline massively. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is optimistic that this can be more than offset through production growth in Brazil and other countries. But the drought in Brazil and further reductions in US orange crop estimates for 2013/14 have caused prices for frozen orange juice concentrate to rise back to levels seen in early summer of last year

In March, the New York Board of Trade price for frozen concentrated orange juice returned to levels of over 150 US cents per pound that were seen in early summer 2013. In October, prices had temporarily dipped below 120 US cents per pound. The fact that prices have increased again is mainly attributable to the drought in Brazil that raised doubts as to whether an increasing Brazilian production could really offset the losses in the US.

The USDA has repeatedly made it clear that in the USA declining supply of oranges and orange juice has to be expected for the 2013/14 season. In the US, orange production is concentrated in only two states. Some 70% of oranges originate from Florida, while everything else – except for a negligible rest – comes from California. For this reason the USDA’s announcement that this year production in Florida will probably fall to the lowest level since 1990 has moved the market. A 15% drop on last year is expected. The main reason is that the bug-transmitted disease citrus greening has caused considerable damage to trees. This disease prevents sufficient nutrient uptake and thus stunts the growth of the fruit, causing it to drop prematurely. This season in Florida, the loss rate from droppage should be the highest in 50 years. Since the development of new plantations is expensive and the young trees have to be grown in a greenhouse to prevent infection, the orange plantation acreage in Florida has fallen to the lowest levels since records began in 1978. In Florida, the orange harvest is traditionally used almost completely for processing into juice. In California, the share of oranges for direct consumption is higher. But since this year the citrus greening will probably make a lot of fruit unsuitable for direct consumption, the share of juice processing will likely be higher than usual this year (chart 2).

In the US, the downward trend in production therefore probably continues: The USDA’s latest forecast from January expects a drop by 11% for both orange and orange juice production. Besides the citrus greening, the aridity in the US plays a role here: Whilst in the winter months the US Drought Monitor rated 28% of Florida as abnormally dry, moisture conditions are now classified as nearly 100% normal. Not so in California, where about half of the acreage is currently affected by extreme drought and another fourth suffers from an exceptional drought.

With regard to global production, the USDA is more optimistic: In January, it estimated that orange production in Brazil would rise by 8.5% in the coming harvest from May onwards due to bigger fruits. While the USDA counts this harvest for the 2013/14 season, in Brazil it is already counted as the crop of 2014/15. The production of orange juice is seen to increase even more strongly (18%) in the USDA report, as the yield from pressing is improved. But these impressive growth rates should not make us forget that in the previous season both orange production and orange juice production fell significantly, by 20% and 23%, respectively. Already in 2011/12, production had decreased. The orange acreage has been reduced in Brazil in the last few years – the world’s biggest orange producer by far with a share of more than one third and no. 1 exporter of orange juice (chart 3) – as many growers shifted to products such as soybeans, corn or sugar cane. Whether the effects of the drought on production in Brazil makes USDA forecast unrealistic, is still unclear.

Due to favourable weather, a whopping 12% increase in orange production is expected in the EU, which would mean a return roughly to 2008/09 levels after years of a steady decline. Juice production is seen to increase at an equally quick pace. The EU is also the biggest importer of orange juice, with a large part of its imports coming from Brazil and the US, whereas South Africa and Egypt are the most important sources for fresh fruit.

In China, production of orange juice shall also continue rising, with the level expected to quadruple compared to 2010/11. But since demand likewise continues to grow, the country still has to rely on imports. About half of the consumed quantity must be imported. But this corresponds to only 0.5% of the globally traded quantity of orange juice. China is still a negligible client compared to the EU, which accounts for half of the total import volume and imports eleven times as much as China.

Compared to the previous season, the increase in oranges as well as orange juice in Brazil and several other countries is expected to more than offset the considerable decrease in the US, and so the USDA reckons with a global growth of 5% in orange production and of 6% in orange juice production.

In recent years, the per-capita consumption of orange juice in the US has declined considerably as many consumers prefer beverages with lower sugar contents. In the EU, the biggest consumer of orange juice, consumption is also considerably lower now than it was only a few years ago. Since these two regions account for two thirds of global orange juice consumption, prospects are rather cloudy on the demand side.

However: The unsolved problems with the citrus greening and concerns about the consequences of the drought in Brazil should support orange juice prices for the time being.

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Brent crude ticks higher on tension, but market structure stays soft

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2 dagar sedan

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16 september, 2025

Redaktionen

Brent crude has climbed roughly USD 1.5-2 per barrel since Friday, yet falling USD 0.3 per barrel this mornig and currently trading near USD 67.25/bbl after yesterday’s climb. While the rally reflects short-term geopolitical tension, price action has been choppy, and crude remains locked in a broader range – caught between supply-side pressure and spot resilience.

Ole R. Hvalbye, Analyst Commodities, SEB

Prices have been supported by renewed Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian infrastructure. Over the weekend, falling debris triggered a fire at the 20mtpa Kirishi refinery, following last week’s attack on the key Primorsk terminal.

Argus estimates that these attacks have halted ish 300 kbl/d of Russian refining capacity in August and September. While the market impact is limited for now, the action signals Kyiv’s growing willingness to disrupt oil flows – supporting a soft geopolitical floor under prices.

The political environment is shifting: the EU is reportedly considering sanctions on Indian and Chinese firms facilitating Russian crude flows, while the U.S. has so far held back – despite Bessent warning that any action from Washington depends on broader European participation. Senator Graham has also publicly criticized NATO members like Slovakia and Hungary for continuing Russian oil imports.

It’s worth noting that China and India remain the two largest buyers of Russian barrels since the invasion of Ukraine. While New Delhi has been hit with 50% secondary tariffs, Beijing has been spared so far.

Still, the broader supply/demand balance leans bearish. Futures markets reflect this: Brent’s prompt spread (gauge of near-term tightness) has narrowed to the current USD 0.42/bl, down from USD 0.96/bl two months ago, pointing to weakening backwardation.

This aligns with expectations for a record surplus in 2026, largely driven by the faster-than-anticipated return of OPEC+ barrels to market. OPEC+ is gathering in Vienna this week to begin revising member production capacity estimates – setting the stage for new output baselines from 2027. The group aims to agree on how to define “maximum sustainable capacity,” with a proposal expected by year-end.

While the IEA pegs OPEC+ capacity at 47.9 million barrels per day, actual output in August was only 42.4 million barrels per day. Disagreements over data and quota fairness (especially from Iraq and Nigeria) have already delayed this process. Angola even quit the group last year after being assigned a lower target than expected. It also remains unclear whether Russia and Iraq can regain earlier output levels due to infrastructure constraints.

Also, macro remains another key driver this week. A 25bp Fed rate cut is widely expected tomorrow (Wednesday), and commodities in general could benefit a potential cut.

Summing up: Brent crude continues to drift sideways, finding near-term support from geopolitics and refining strength. But with surplus building and market structure softening, the upside may remain capped.

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Volatile but going nowhere. Brent crude circles USD 66 as market weighs surplus vs risk

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6 dagar sedan

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12 september, 2025

Redaktionen

Brent crude is essentially flat on the week, but after a volatile ride. Prices started Monday near USD 65.5/bl, climbed steadily to a mid-week high of USD 67.8/bl on Wednesday evening, before falling sharply – losing about USD 2/bl during Thursday’s session.

Brent is currently trading around USD 65.8/bl, right back where it began. The volatility reflects the market’s ongoing struggle to balance growing surplus risks against persistent geopolitical uncertainty and resilient refined product margins. Thursday’s slide snapped a three-day rally and came largely in response to a string of bearish signals, most notably from the IEA’s updated short-term outlook.

The IEA now projects record global oversupply in 2026, reinforcing concerns flagged earlier by the U.S. EIA, which already sees inventories building this quarter. The forecast comes just days after OPEC+ confirmed it will continue returning idle barrels to the market in October – albeit at a slower pace of +137,000 bl/d. While modest, the move underscores a steady push to reclaim market share and adds to supply-side pressure into year-end.

Thursday’s price drop also followed geopolitical incidences: Israeli airstrikes reportedly targeted Hamas leadership in Doha, while Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace – events that initially sent crude higher as traders covered short positions.

Yet, sentiment remains broadly cautious. Strong refining margins and low inventories at key pricing hubs like Europe continue to support the downside. Chinese stockpiling of discounted Russian barrels and tightness in refined product markets – especially diesel – are also lending support.

On the demand side, the IEA revised up its 2025 global demand growth forecast by 60,000 bl/d to 740,000 bl/d YoY, while leaving 2026 unchanged at 698,000 bl/d. Interestingly, the agency also signaled that its next long-term report could show global oil demand rising through 2050.

Meanwhile, OPEC offered a contrasting view in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report, maintaining expectations for a supply deficit both this year and next, even as its members raise output. The group kept its demand growth estimates for 2025 and 2026 unchanged at 1.29 million bl/d and 1.38 million bl/d, respectively.

We continue to watch whether the bearish supply outlook will outweigh geopolitical risk, and if Brent can continue to find support above USD 65/bl – a level increasingly seen as a soft floor for OPEC+ policy.

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Waiting for the surplus while we worry about Israel and Qatar

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1 vecka sedan

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10 september, 2025

Redaktionen

Brent crude makes some gains as Israel’s attack on Hamas in Qatar rattles markets. Brent crude spiked to a high of USD 67.38/b yesterday as Israel made a strike on Hamas in Qatar. But it wasn’t able to hold on to that level and only closed up 0.6% in the end at USD 66.39/b. This morning it is starting on the up with a gain of 0.9% at USD 67/b. Still rattled by Israel’s attack on Hamas in Qatar yesterday. Brent is getting some help on the margin this morning with Asian equities higher and copper gaining half a percent. But the dark cloud of surplus ahead is nonetheless hanging over the market with Brent trading two dollar lower than last Tuesday.

Bjarne Schieldrop, Chief analyst commodities, SEB

Geopolitical risk premiums in oil rarely lasts long unless actual supply disruption kicks in. While Israel’s attack on Hamas in Qatar is shocking, the geopolitical risk lifting crude oil yesterday and this morning is unlikely to last very long as such geopolitical risk premiums usually do not last long unless real disruption kicks in.

US API data yesterday indicated a US crude and product stock build last week of 3.1 mb. The US API last evening released partial US oil inventory data indicating that US crude stocks rose 1.3 mb and middle distillates rose 1.5 mb while gasoline rose 0.3 mb. In total a bit more than 3 mb increase. US crude and product stocks usually rise around 1 mb per week this time of year. So US commercial crude and product stock rose 2 mb over the past week adjusted for the seasonal norm. Official and complete data are due today at 16:30.

A 2 mb/week seasonally adj. US stock build implies a 1 – 1.4 mb/d global surplus if it is persistent. Assume that if the global oil market is running a surplus then some 20% to 30% of that surplus ends up in US commercial inventories. A 2 mb seasonally adjusted inventory build equals 286 kb/d. Divide by 0.2 to 0.3 and we get an implied global surplus of 950 kb/d to 1430 kb/d. A 2 mb/week seasonally adjusted build in US oil inventories is close to noise unless it is a persistent pattern every week.

US IEA STEO oil report: Robust surplus ahead and Brent averaging USD 51/b in 2026. The US EIA yesterday released its monthly STEO oil report. It projected a large and persistent surplus ahead. It estimates a global surplus of 2.2 m/d from September to December this year. A 2.4 mb/d surplus in Q1-26 and an average surplus for 2026 of 1.6 mb/d resulting in an average Brent crude oil price of USD 51/b next year. And that includes an assumption where OPEC crude oil production only averages 27.8 mb/d in 2026 versus 27.0 mb/d in 2024 and 28.6 mb/d in August.

Brent will feel the bear-pressure once US/OECD stocks starts visible build. In the meanwhile the oil market sits waiting for this projected surplus to materialize in US and OECD inventories. Once they visibly starts to build on a consistent basis, then Brent crude will likely quickly lose altitude. And unless some unforeseen supply disruption kicks in, it is bound to happen.

US IEA STEO September report. In total not much different than it was in January