Climb the Rigging & Haul the Ropes

By Paul Sankey Published on August 9, 2026 at 9:02 PM

Valero CFO Homer Bhullar said on our Thursday call, with the Valero stock close to all-time highs: “Our mid-cycle is set by hydroskimming”. Homework today is running with that unit’s global economics. The data says that US/North American refining is running at max capacity ~95% utilisation Ergo, with no marginal US refining, Valero’s midcycle is set by European hydroskimming. We argue that the stock is currently discounting hydroskimming margins sustained at $4/bbl (if you require …

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Happy Hour, C’est Moi: Open mike today, next Thursday Valero Head of Trading

By Paul Sankey Published on July 30, 2026 at 12:54 PM

Today, if anyone wants to join, I will do an open mike session as our Happy Hour this week. 4pm ET by Zoom. It might be just you and me if you dial in. Which is good by me. I made a presentation to 100 insurance executives yesterday and I have been on both Bloomberg TV and Radio this morning, so I am rapping. Open Mike Discussion July 30th 2026: https://sankeyresearch.com/conference/sankey-strategy-session-open-mic-interest-form/ Things to chat about: …

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Sunday Three Problems Two Doors One Cup

By Paul Sankey Published on July 19, 2026 at 2:39 PM

As a battle-scarred veteran of being a US Travel Soccer Dad, it is no new experience for me to travel for days to a big match and come back defeated and furious with the coach. Briefly to get it out of the way, a couple of things from the point of view of being present in Atlanta for the worst England capitulation since the fall of Singapore (February 1942, some 80,000 British Empire forces under …

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