refining

With the hydrocracker and coker still offline after March's blast, Port Arthur's sustained curtailments threaten Valero's 2029 earnings trajectory and test balance-sheet flexibility for shareholder payouts.

Diesel crack spreads hit $102 a barrel Monday—nearly triple pre-war levels—as attacks on Middle Eastern and Russian refineries, Chinese export restrictions, and Hormuz shipping disruptions leave American refineries as the sole functioning major supply source.

Refiners face production targets under six-month review after Hormuz disruption exposed a structural dependence on imported LPG covering 90 percent of national supply.