The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. US commercial crude inventories increased by 3.7 million barrels last week, bringing the total US commercial crude inventory to 379.5 million barrels, above the upper limit of the five-year range for this time of the year.
A Platts survey provided a consensus estimate for a weekly inventory gain of 2.2 million barrels, while the American Petroleum Institute had noted an inventory increase of a whopping 7.8 million barrels. Crude prices, which have fallen for five straight days, were already lower before the EIA report and have continued to drop after the news came out.
Total gasoline inventories fell by 2.6 million barrels last week and remain in the middle of the five-year average range. Over the last four weeks, gasoline supplied has declined by -3.2% compared to the same period last year. Total motor gasoline supplied averaged 8.7 million barrels/day for the four weeks.
For the past week, crude imports averaged 9 million barrels/day, up by about 145,000 barrels/day from the previous week. Refineries were running at 86.4% of capacity, with daily input of 14.7 million barrels/day, up by 35,000 barrels/day from the previous week.
According to gasbuddy.com, US gasoline prices average $3.745/gallon today, compared with a pump price of $3.802 a week ago. AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report shows today’s price at $3.75, down from $3.803 a week ago. Pump prices continue to fall and the weekly drops are getting slightly larger. The approaching Memorial Day holiday often sees an uptick in pump prices, so this may be something to watch for in the coming days.
WTI crude is down -1.74% today at $95.32 after closing at $97.01 on the Nymex yesterday.
Paul Ausick
Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!
By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.
By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.