What happened
Shares of Teekay Tankers Ltd. (TNK 1.82%) jumped as much as 13.6% in trading Wednesday, as the tanker market continues to be hot. As of 1:10 p.m. EDT, shares were still up 10.4% on the day and holding.
So what
Rates to charter tankers continue to be extremely high, as sanctions on Chinese shipowner COSCO reduce market supply, and attacks on oil supply and tankers in the Middle East cause unrest for energy traders. Euronav CEO Hugo De Stoop said this week that it will take "weeks or even months" for prices to come down, so the windfall may last for a while.
Image source: Getty Images.
As long as spot rates are high, tanker stocks will continue to trade higher, but those rates may turn south if geopolitical risks subside. For now, we don't know when that will be.
Now what
Oil tanker stocks are going to stay hot as long as geopolitical risk is high and sanctions are in effect, but that can change very rapidly. Even Euronav's comments suggest that prices will settle down eventually, and then tanker stocks could drop.
The move today makes sense short-term, but I don't see this as a reason to buy the stock for long-term investors. As a Foolish investor, I'm going to sit this one out.
