Basics of the Petroleum Industry VI: The Economics of Big Oil (and Your Local Gas Station)
For most of us, our chief exposure to the economics of the oil industry comes in the form of two-foot-high letters displayed somewhere along the streets we travel to work or play. Though we may not know the current price of a barrel of crude oil¹ - may not even know how big a barrel of oil is² - we are usually aware of the price of gasoline in our neighborhood. What most of us don't know, as a rule, is why gasoline costs what it does. The answer is simple on the surface, and devilishly complex below that simple answer.
Remember, too, that the cost of the raw materials (crude oil) is only about 65% of the price of your gasoline: there are also the costs of transporting the crude oil to a refinery, refining it, and transporting the refined product to your local station; not to mention the cost of the additives, most of which are also petroleum products. Besides the cost of producing, transporting, and refining the gasoline you bought on the way to work today, the station that sold you that gasoline also has to pay for the property and building (a small station can easily cost more than a million dollars to build and equip), employees, and the rights to sell that particular brand - very few stations that sell Exxon gasoline, for instance, are owned by the company. Most are owned by local business-men and -women. Oh, and one more cost: taxes. On top of a federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, every state (and some large cities) also charges "road-use" taxes. Depending on where you live, taxes range from a total of 26.4 cents/gallon (Alaska) to 65.8 cents/gallon in California (see a list of US state tax burdens here). Internationally, except for a few petroleum-exporting countries such that subsidize the price of gasoline (e.g., Venezuela and Saudi Arabia), taxes can be even higher; though the proceeds are frequently used to pay for public transportation.
Remember the twenty gallons of gasoline that cost you fifty bucks this morning? The station probably made less than a dollar of net profit - that's why they want you to come inside and buy snacks in their convenience store. Back in the mid-nineties, when oil was at nine dollars per barrel, the company I worked for made most of its profit off "The four Cs"- cigarettes, coke, chicken, and condoms - in their chain of convenience stores, and actually lost money selling gasoline. If you really want to make a gas station owner happy, come inside and pay $1.59 for a bottle of water after you're done pumping - you may double his profit on your visit.
This is number six in a series of minilectures on the oil industry:
1) Where Does Oil Come From?
2) Where Do Oil Companies Find Oil?
3) How Do Oil Companies Find Oil?
4) The Economics of Petroleum Exploration and Production
5) Refining
6) The Economics of Big Oil <== You are here. The next installments is:
7) The Future of Oil
¹ If you're curious, it's displayed to the right of this blog entry (assuming the gadget is working today)
² A barrel is 42 US gallons, a smidgen less than 159 liters, or just under 35 imperial gallons. It's a unit of measurement, however, not a physical container: petroleum and petroleum products aren't poured into 42-gallon drums and shipped; it's pumped into large tank trucks, rail cars, and tanker ships; or they're pumped in a continuous stream through a pipeline.
For most of us, our chief exposure to the economics of the oil industry comes in the form of two-foot-high letters displayed somewhere along the streets we travel to work or play. Though we may not know the current price of a barrel of crude oil¹ - may not even know how big a barrel of oil is² - we are usually aware of the price of gasoline in our neighborhood. What most of us don't know, as a rule, is why gasoline costs what it does. The answer is simple on the surface, and devilishly complex below that simple answer.
| One simple fact is that oil companies, no matter how large or small, do not set the price of their product. Crude oil and refined products are commodities, like corn and pork bellies; and the price of commodities are by commodity traders who broker deals between sellers and buyers. Traders perform a balancing act between the least a seller will accept for the product and the most a buyer will pay for it. According to the law of supply and demand, buyers will pay more for a commodity when supply decreases. That's why whenever there is a restriction in the supply of oil production within or imports to the USA, the price rises. Even more, whenever there is fear of a reduced supply - due to weather, natural disaster, or political instability - the price also rises. In fall of 2008, the price of oil fell dramatically because of the belief that that economic upheaval would reduce demand for petroleum in large markets like Southeast Asia. The same supply and demand cycle affects beef and milk (mad cow disease, anyone?) and corn and soy beans: like farmers who are paid less for crops after a good growing season, oil companies get less for their product when the supply exceeds the demand. |
Remember, too, that the cost of the raw materials (crude oil) is only about 65% of the price of your gasoline: there are also the costs of transporting the crude oil to a refinery, refining it, and transporting the refined product to your local station; not to mention the cost of the additives, most of which are also petroleum products. Besides the cost of producing, transporting, and refining the gasoline you bought on the way to work today, the station that sold you that gasoline also has to pay for the property and building (a small station can easily cost more than a million dollars to build and equip), employees, and the rights to sell that particular brand - very few stations that sell Exxon gasoline, for instance, are owned by the company. Most are owned by local business-men and -women. Oh, and one more cost: taxes. On top of a federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, every state (and some large cities) also charges "road-use" taxes. Depending on where you live, taxes range from a total of 26.4 cents/gallon (Alaska) to 65.8 cents/gallon in California (see a list of US state tax burdens here). Internationally, except for a few petroleum-exporting countries such that subsidize the price of gasoline (e.g., Venezuela and Saudi Arabia), taxes can be even higher; though the proceeds are frequently used to pay for public transportation.Remember the twenty gallons of gasoline that cost you fifty bucks this morning? The station probably made less than a dollar of net profit - that's why they want you to come inside and buy snacks in their convenience store. Back in the mid-nineties, when oil was at nine dollars per barrel, the company I worked for made most of its profit off "The four Cs"- cigarettes, coke, chicken, and condoms - in their chain of convenience stores, and actually lost money selling gasoline. If you really want to make a gas station owner happy, come inside and pay $1.59 for a bottle of water after you're done pumping - you may double his profit on your visit.
| What should you take away from this? First, oil companies don't set the price of their product -- they're at the mercy of the law of supply and demand. Sure, when prices are set high they can rack up substantial profits, but when prices fall, they'll take it in the shorts. Second, the guy in the local gas station doesn't arbitrarily jack up the price to try to fleece you: the station owner has plenty of costs to cover, not just the price of the raw material - and it's fairly likely that the station isn't making a great deal of money off the sale of gasoline in the first place. |  
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This is number six in a series of minilectures on the oil industry:
1) Where Does Oil Come From?
2) Where Do Oil Companies Find Oil?
3) How Do Oil Companies Find Oil?
4) The Economics of Petroleum Exploration and Production
5) Refining
6) The Economics of Big Oil <== You are here. The next installments is:
7) The Future of Oil
¹ If you're curious, it's displayed to the right of this blog entry (assuming the gadget is working today)
² A barrel is 42 US gallons, a smidgen less than 159 liters, or just under 35 imperial gallons. It's a unit of measurement, however, not a physical container: petroleum and petroleum products aren't poured into 42-gallon drums and shipped; it's pumped into large tank trucks, rail cars, and tanker ships; or they're pumped in a continuous stream through a pipeline.
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