Oil is holding above $50 a barrel as speculation mounts that members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will prolong supply curbs to prevent the market returning to surplus next year. At the same time, there are signs that growth in U.S. shale oil, which has kept a lid on prices, may be slowing as drilling declines. “The market will probably take it positively if OPEC can explain their thinking on how it works when they’re not voluntarily holding back oil from the market anymore,” Torbjorn Kjus, analyst at DNB Markets said. “There’s a fear in the market that when the deal runs out, then it’s every man for himself again, and that’s not what they’re thinking.” Click Read More below for additional information.

National Average Price for Regular – Current: $2.521; Month Ago: $2.456; Year Ago: $2.351. National Average Price for Diesel – Current: $2.921; Month Ago: $2.836; Year Ago: $2.532.

Futures lost as much as 1.3 percent in New York after falling 1.9 percent on Tuesday. U.S. inventories rose by 6.51 million barrels last week, the American Petroleum Institute was said to report. That would be the biggest gain since March if confirmed in government data on Wednesday. “The API data showed an inventory build, in contrast to expectations of a draw, which is weighing on the market,” said Giovanni Staunovo, a commodity analyst at UBS Group AG. “The Russian news doesn’t help either.” Gasoline inventories rose by 2.4 million barrels last week, the API said Tuesday, according to people familiar with the data. While the institute also reported a gain in crude stockpiles, a Bloomberg survey showed they may have shrunk by 2.4 million barrels. The U.S. Energy Information Administration will release the data at 10:30 a.m. New York time on Wednesday. Click Read More below for additional information.