AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 3/22/24

Futures in New York were little changed after slumping 2.4 percent Monday. Inventories probably dropped by about 3.5 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey before an Energy Information Administration report on Wednesday. Libya has stopped loadings from its biggest oil field, while Venezuela’s exports also declined in the first half of August. “Right now, we are seeing a draw on the U.S. inventory stocks,” said Michael Poulsen, an analyst at Global Risk Management Ltd. As “the driving season is coming to an end, the question is if the latest draws in U.S. inventories will continue.” U.S. crude stockpiles have declined by almost 43 million barrels since the end of June, according to the Energy Information Administration. While inventories have eased, oil production has increased to the highest since July 2015. Output from major shale fields is also forecast to climb to a record next month. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Futures dropped 1.1 percent in New York after a third weekly loss. Russia, which along with Saudi Arabia is trying to garner support for lifting output limits, was said to have boosted production earlier this month to above the level envisioned by OPEC. Meanwhile, the number of rigs drilling for crude in the U.S. inched higher, signaling output may extend a record. Saudi Arabia and Russia, among the countries with spare capacity to raise production, signaled last month they may restore output even though they hadn’t yet consulted most other producers. Oil prices have fallen more than 7 percent since the two nations made their proposal public. Click Read More below for additional information.