“Refineries are ripping,” exclaimed our high-energy, Energy Futures Strategist Bob Yawger in a string of recent television appearances. Yawger’s analysis has been in great demand in the press and among clients, as forces, such as the US pulling out the Iran deal, political chaos in oil-producing Venezuela, and an OPEC production cap, weigh on the oil markets. So what does Bob do to relax and unwind? In 2018, the 53-year old strategist competed in his first bodybuilding competition, the NPC Mid-Atlantic Classic, taking second place in the True Novice and third in Pure Natural categories.
It is impressive show of ‘energy’ just to compete with athletes half your age, but perhaps even more so when one considers the win came just seven years and one week to the day after he had major heart surgery. “I was born with a heart valve that did not close so doctors replaced my aortic valve with a cow valve,” says Bob somewhat matter-of-factly. “I also had my aorta replaced with around six inches of Dacron tubing type pipe.”
Bodybuilder films like to document the tremendous food intake of weightlifters, but Bob fuels up quite differently. “Unless I am with clients, my dinners are almost exclusively protein shakes,” explains Bob. “My typical dinner time smoothie is a mix of frozen blueberries – when they are frozen, you don’t need ice, 0% Greek yogurt, whey protein, beet powder, turmeric powder, bee pollen, apple cider vinegar, fish oil, and almond milk.” Sounds, um, delicious, but I don’t think there will be a widespread movement to get that drink stocked in our office vending machines anytime soon. Which is fine, as Bob is often seen as taking a different route, in work and life.
“I started out as an intern at CNN working in the Washington DC bureau,” he says. “The staff was a group of new college grads and we basically produced all the news shows ourselves. It was the 80’s and just about every major political and news figure of the era was coming to the office to be part of the new 24-hour cable news medium. But it wasn’t for me and I left for a job working on an energy futures desk where the pace was more exciting and the earning potential much higher.”
Bob’s off-the-beaten path approach to his career also carries over to his vacation preferences. “With my children grown, I like to explore more adventurous opportunities,” he says with a mischievous grin. “Last summer, I hiked solo across the Italian Dolomites for two weeks camping in a one-man tent. The year before, I did Paria River Canyon in Utah, a trail very close to the point where a hiker once lost his arm. Never leave the trail.”
Bob works on the energy futures desk in the Securities Division, led by John Murphy, Executive Managing Director & Head of Futures Division, in Chicago. Last November, we expanded the department’s capabilities with the establishment the Energy Execution Desk run by Bob and Rory McAuley. It complements our futures execution and clearing offerings and adds a higher level of niche service, building upon the group's existing specialization in clearing sales for crude products and natural gas futures and options.
The sector may be an exhausting ride for investors, but the intensity of our investment advice shows no signs of an energy shortage.
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