AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 5/6/22

FedEx Corp. reported earnings of $2.84 per diluted share ($3.18 per diluted share on an adjusted basis) for the second quarter ended November 30, compared to earnings of $2.59 per diluted share ($2.77 per diluted share on an adjusted basis) a year ago. Both as-reported and adjusted fiscal 2018 earnings reflect the estimated negative impact of the June 27 cyberattack affecting TNT Express ($0.31 per diluted share). This year’s and last year’s quarterly consolidated earnings have been adjusted for TNT Express integration expenses of $0.33 and $0.18 per diluted share, respectively. Click Read More below for additional information.

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 2.4% in May after decreasing 1.7% in April. In May, the index equaled 115.4 (2015=100) compared with 112.7 in April. “Tonnage had a nice gain in May, but remains in recession territory,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “The 2.4 percent gain didn’t erase the 4.5 percent total drop the previous two months. Additionally, tonnage continues to contract from year earlier levels as retail sales remain soft, manufacturing production continues to fall from a year ago, and housing starts contract from 2022 levels.” Compared with May 2022, the SA index decreased 1.3%, which was the third straight year-over-year decrease. In April, the index was down 3.4% from a year earlier.

Futures in New York slipped 0.4 percent, on course for a 0.7 percent drop this week. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week predicted President Donald Trump will exit the Iran agreement, while U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday a decision on a withdrawal hasn’t been made. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to finally end seven decades of hostile relations this year. Oil this month touched the highest level in more than three years as speculation swirled over the potential breakup of the nuclear accord that Iran signed with world powers in 2015. The deal had lifted sanctions on the Islamic Republic, enabling it to boost oil production by about 1 million barrels a day. Investors are also watching global inventories amid signs that production cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies could continue to deepen while American output soars. Click Read More below for additional information.