Crude sets direction, not the whole price
Costlier crude raises the base cost, but products can move differently because of refining margins. A refinery outage or product shortage can lift fuel prices even when crude is stable.
FinFly Explains / Economy
What makes up petrol and diesel prices
Petrol and diesel are refined products, not crude oil. Their prices combine feedstock, refinery operations, inventories, seasonal demand, delivery, taxes and retail-market rules.
Why inventories and seasons matter
Stocks cushion short shortages. Refinery maintenance, summer driving, heating demand or supply disruption can shrink that buffer and amplify wholesale moves.
What is added before the pump
Storage, transport, wholesale and retail margins, taxes and quality standards enter after refining. The same crude quote therefore does not produce the same retail price everywhere.
Reading Azerbaijan fuel stories
Separate a world crude quote, wholesale product price, regulated retail tariff and SOCAR export price. They are different market layers and need not move together.
Questions
Short answers
Why does petrol not fall immediately with oil?
Inventories may have been bought earlier, while refining, logistics, taxes and regulation adjust on different timelines.
What is a refining margin?
In simple terms, it is the value of the product slate minus the crude input before all refinery expenses.
Which data are more useful than a headline?
Inventories, refinery utilisation, product wholesale quotes, imports and exports, tariff decisions and their effective dates.
Method
Primary sources
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