July 22, 2024
Sales price pressure from the top and operating expense pressure from the bottom is what Angus Analytics Managing Partner Bob Levins refers to as “the squeeze play.” While per-gallon profit margins have not gone back to where they were in 2018, they are well below the levels of the past three years. At the same time, we’ve come off of our second consecutive warm winter and are still facing an inflationary environment that is driving up nearly all operating costs. We cannot hide from our realities: expenses must be managed in a way that doesn’t impact the customer experience....
June 24, 2024
Have you been disappointed in recent years with your cash flow or profitability as you have been forced to deal with warm winters, greater regulation, stubborn inflation, and high interest rates? Or maybe you really want more stability with year-over year results, regardless of the weather or economy. If you’ve been wracking your brain trying to find ways to turn things around...
June 17, 2024
The article “Navigating Propane Market Volatility” written by Phil Baratz (published in BPN, June 2024) explores the key strategies that enable retail propane distributors to confidently navigate uncertainty and thrive in a dynamic market.
June 2, 2024
There are ways to hedge Basis risk and they can include working with a supplier or working with a “paper hedge.” It is not something to panic about, but ignoring DIFFs is at your own peril.
April 1, 2024
The days of continually raising prices to maintain profits are long gone; survival in today's cutthroat market demands streamlined operations and competitive pricing models. Keeping customers can be as simple as offering the RIGHT pricing program...
March 17, 2024
Did you know that the Federal Reserve (Fed) does not use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to track inflation? The Fed prefers to track a much less familiar index known as Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE).
PCE measures the change in consumer spending on the actual goods and services that households are currently purchasing. PCE considers substitutions made by households and is more flexible.
February 5, 2024
As operating costs continue to rise, efficiency becomes paramount to maintaining profits. Many fuel marketers are turning to their data to identify metrics and devise plans for improvement. Here are some simple points to consider...
January 8, 2024
In his recent article, featured in the January issue of Fuel Oil News, Rashaan Baskerville discusses how a current interest phenomenon may provide you with a rare opportunity to significantly reduce your interest expenses.
November 20, 2023
Tank monitors are meant to take away the uncertainty of asking yourself, “How much will I deliver to this tank today?” Better put, tank monitors put an end to the challenge of relying on questionable K-factor consumption calculations. If you know how much you will deliver to a particular tank, you can achieve the two most important improvements imaginable: increased delivery size and optimal fleet management.
October 6, 2023
When considering whether to hedge (or not to), it is important to review the following key factors: Variable Cost Structure: , Fixed Cost Structure, Inflation, and Interest Rates.
