- Matt Smith, ClipperData
US crude oil inventories dropped last week, whereas gasoline stocks rose unexpectedly, the Energy Information Administration reported on Wednesday. According to the EIA, US crude stocks fell 1.0M barrels in the week ended April 14, following the preceding week's decline of 2.2M barrels and meeting market analysts' expectations. Nevertheless, gasoline inventories climbed 1.5M barrels, falling behind a 1.9M-barrel fall forecast. Unusually high gasoline stockpiles raised concerns and sent the gasoline price 0.6% lower to $1.0701. The price of oil also dropped following the release. West Texas Intermediate futures fell to $52.24 per barrel, whereas Brent futures slipped to $54.75 per barrel. Refineries added 241,000 barrels per day in crude oil production, with the Gulf Coat contributing the most to the increase. Thus, the utilisation rate advanced 1.9% last week. Crude inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma, dropped 778,000 barrels. Data also showed that distillate stockpiles that include heating oil and diesel decreased 2M barrels, compared to a 1M-barrel decline forecast. The EIA highlighted that distillate inventories hit their lowest levels since November 2015. Yesterday, the OPEC reported that it would meet with non-OPEC countries at its next conference on May 25 to discuss further oil production cuts.
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