Oil fell, compounding a monthly decline, after U.S. crude inventories were said to rise by more than expected. Futures in New York fell 0.6 percent, set for the first monthly drop since February. On Wednesday, the American Petroleum Institute was said to report a 1 million barrel increase in crude stockpiles, double the gain forecast in a Bloomberg survey of analysts. Prices have declined about 4 percent since Saudi Arabia and Russia last week proposed to phase out supply curbs by OPEC and its allies. Click Read More below for additional information.

Oil remains in a bear market on concern rising global supply will offset curbs by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners including Russia. OPEC’s first assessment of world markets in 2018 suggested that its current output of 32.6 million barrels a day -- swollen by a recovery in Libya and Nigeria that are exempt from the cuts -- will be too high. “Given how the rebalancing process appears to be taking its time, it will be difficult to avoid having the discussion with Libya and Nigeria of eventually capping their output, provided of course the gains in the two countries are sustained,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas SA in London. Click Read More below for more of the story.

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $2.591 Month Ago: $2.523 Year Ago: $2.290