Exxon retreated from oil trading in pandemic as rivals made fortunes
Some of Exxon’s biggest rivals made enormous trading profits last year as their traders bought oil and stored it when prices plunged, then sold it at higher prices for future delivery. Rival Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) said in March that it doubled its 2020 trading profits to $2.6 billion over the previous year. BP Plc (BP.L)’s trading arm earned about $4 billion, a near record, Reuters reported previously, based on an internal BP presentation. Such profits helped both companies offset massive losses from a collapse in fuel demand and prices as the pandemic curtailed travel worldwide.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/exxon-retreated-oil-trading-pandemic-rivals-made-fortunes-2021-04-26/