Week Thoughts: Market Relief, MLP Grief

The market found some relief on the stimulus bill, but midstream and MLPs lagged this week. Canada midstream helped the AMNA outperform the other midstream indexes. Oil prices fell further, and the lack of places to put oil in this climate is concerning.

Midstream Week Thoughts: Remote Detonation

While the entire country worked remotely this week, the market had its worst week since 2008. This led to another week of staggering losses in midstream and oil prices. MLPs actually outperformed utilities and the DJIA this week and were roughly inline with the S&P 500 decline.

MIDSTREAM ELEPHANTS COMING HOME TO ROOST

The balance between supply and demand of MLP paper has always been delicate. In the past it was a balance between perpetually growing inflows and equity issuance. There were times when equity offerings temporarily overwhelmed investor appetite for MLPs. But as liquidity has diminished in recent years, the structural risks to this group to a stampede to the exits grew larger.

Week Thoughts: From Russia, No Love for Midstream

Midstream captured more downside, selling off again this week but for a different reason. Last week, midstream was down alongside the rest of the stock market. This week the market finished flat, utilities finished sharply higher with a big interest rate drop, but midstream sold off again.

Midstream Week Thoughts: Selling Goes Viral

Midstream joined in on the biggest and broadest equity selloff in recent memory this week. This was the worst week for the S&P 500 and for MLPs since 2008. Oil dropped to the mid-$40s, interest rates and natural gas prices dropped to fresh lows.