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Understanding the estimation of oil demand and oil supply elasticities

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  • Kilian, Lutz

Abstract

Using a novel dataset, we develop a structural model of the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) market between the Arabian Gulf and the Far East. We study how fluctuations in oil tanker rates, oil exports, shipowner profits, and bunker fuel prices are determined by shocks to the supply and demand for oil tankers, to the utilization of tankers, and to the cost of operating tankers, including bunker fuel costs. Our analysis shows that time charter rates are largely unresponsive to tanker cost shocks. In response to higher costs, voyage profits decline, as cost shocks are only partially passed on to round-trip voyage rates. Oil exports from the Arabian Gulf also decline, reflecting lower demand for VLCCs. Positive utilization shocks are associated with higher profits, a slight increase in time charter rates and lower fuel prices and oil export volumes. Tanker supply and tanker demand shocks have persistent effects on time charter rates, round-trip voyage rates, the volume of oil exports, fuel prices, and profits with the expected sign. This paper examines the advantages and drawbacks of alternative methods of estimating oil supply and oil demand elasticities and of incorporating this information into structural VAR models. I not only summarize the state of the literature, but also draw attention to a number of econometric problems that have been overlooked in this literature. Once these problems are recognized, seemingly conflicting conclusions in the recent literature can be resolved. My analysis reaffirms the conclusion that the one-month oil supply elasticity is close to zero, which implies that oil demand shocks are the dominant driver of the real price of oil. The focus of this paper is not only on correcting some misunderstandings in the recent literature, but on the substantive and methodological insights generated by this exchange, which are of broader interest to applied researchers.

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  • Kilian, Lutz, 2020. "Understanding the estimation of oil demand and oil supply elasticities," CFS Working Paper Series 649, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cfswop:649
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    1. Kilian, Lutz & Lee, Thomas K., 2014. "Quantifying the speculative component in the real price of oil: The role of global oil inventories," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 71-87.
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    10. Lutz Kilian & Xiaoqing Zhou, 2020. "Does drawing down the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve help stabilize oil prices?," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(6), pages 673-691, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ron Alquist & Karlye Dilts Stedman & R. Jay Kahn, 2022. "Foreign Reserve Management and U.S. Money Market Liquidity: A Cost of Exorbitant Privilege," Research Working Paper RWP 22-08, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
    3. Valenti, Daniele & Bastianin, Andrea & Manera, Matteo, 2023. "A weekly structural VAR model of the US crude oil market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    4. M. Adam & O. Bonnet & E. Fize & T. Loisel & M. Rault & L. Wilner, 2023. "How does fuel demand respond to price changes? Quasi-experimental evidence based on high-frequency data," Documents de Travail de l'Insee - INSEE Working Papers 2023-17, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.
    5. Kilian, Lutz, 2022. "Facts and fiction in oil market modeling," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    6. Daniil Lomonosov & Andrey Polbin & Nikita Fokin, 2021. "The Impact of Global Economic Activity, Oil Supply and Speculative Oil Shocks on the Russian Economy," HSE Economic Journal, National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 25(2), pages 227-262.
    7. Puch González, Luis Antonio & Ruiz, Jesús, 2024. "The asymmetry puzzle: the supply chain disruptions news shocks effects on oil prices and inflation," UC3M Working papers. Economics 43758, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    8. Hilde C. Bjørnland & Frode Martin Nordvik & Maximilian Rohrer, 2021. "Supply flexibility in the shale patch: Evidence from North Dakota," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(3), pages 273-292, April.
    9. Kilian, Lutz & Zhou, Xiaoqing, 2022. "Oil prices, exchange rates and interest rates," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    10. Herwartz, Helmut & Theilen, Bernd & Wang, Shu, 2024. "Unraveling the structural sources of oil production and their impact on CO2 emissions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    11. Castro, César & Jiménez-Rodríguez, Rebeca, 2024. "The impact of oil shocks on the stock market," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    12. Asad Dossani & John Elder, 2024. "Uncertainty and investment: Evidence from domestic oil rigs," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(2), pages 323-340, February.
    13. Kilian, Lutz, 2023. "How to Construct Monthly VAR Proxies Based on Daily Futures Market Surprises," CEPR Discussion Papers 18348, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Hong, Yanran & Wang, Lu & Liang, Chao & Umar, Muhammad, 2022. "Impact of financial instability on international crude oil volatility: New sight from a regime-switching framework," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    15. Jihad El Hokayem & Ibrahim Jamali & Ale Hejase, 2024. "A forecasting model for oil prices using a large set of economic indicators," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(5), pages 1615-1624, August.
    16. Wang, Fangzhi & Liao, Hua, 2022. "Unexpected economic growth and oil price shocks," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    17. Lomonosov, Daniil & Polbin, Andrey & Fokin, Nikita, 2020. "Влияние Шоков Мировой Деловой Активности, Предложения Нефти И Спекулятивных Нефтяных Шоков На Экономику Рф [The impact of global economic activity, oil supply and speculative oil shocks on the Russ," MPRA Paper 106019, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Bilgin, Doga & Ellwanger, Reinhard, 2024. "A simple model of global fuel consumption," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    19. Zheng, Xinzhu & Wang, Ranran & Liddle, Brantley & Wen, Yuli & Lin, Lu & Wang, Lining, 2022. "Crude oil footprint in the rapidly changing world and implications from their income and price elasticities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    20. Brandon Schaufele & Jennifer Winter, 2023. "Production Controls in Heavy Oil and Bitumen Markets: Surplus Transfer Due to Alberta’s Curtailment Policy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-24, January.
    21. Braun, Robin, 2021. "The importance of supply and demand for oil prices: evidence from non-Gaussianity," Bank of England working papers 957, Bank of England.
    22. Azhgaliyeva, Dina & Kapsalyamova, Zhanna & Mishra, Ranjeeta, 2022. "Oil price shocks and green bonds: An empirical evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    23. Pan, Zhiyuan & Huang, Xiao & Liu, Li & Huang, Juan, 2023. "Geopolitical uncertainty and crude oil volatility: Evidence from oil-importing and oil-exporting countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    24. Baghish Ahmadov, 2024. "The Impact of Oil Prices on the Import of Capital Goods in Azerbaijan," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 14(3), pages 512-517, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Oil supply elasticity; oil demand elasticity; IV estimation; structural VAR; Bayesian inference; oil price; gasoline price;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • C36 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation
    • C52 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Evaluation, Validation, and Selection

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