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Another Big Reason to Think Oil Prices Aren't Going Up Soon
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by Tom Randall; W. b/ M! |, ~: [/ o- ?
! D% {7 A9 f4 v2 F1 ` zOil just had its first weekly decline in a month, breaking a rally in crude prices. A bit of context: After what's happened over the last year, "rally" seems a bit of an overstatement.
. q5 O1 v, {3 ROil 'Rally'
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One big factor that may be driving prices down this week: The U.S. is pumping so much oil it's running out of places to stash it. 8 ~8 k) }+ x; K: ?5 q3 _* f
Crude oil in storage in the U.S. has jumped to the highest levels in at least 80 years, according to a Bloomberg Industries analysis. The EIA this week reported that U.S. inventories rose 7.7 million barrels to 425.6 million. That's more than 20 percent higher than the five-year average.
5 g& B4 c% S8 _' pU.S. Oil Inventories Reach 80-Year High6 I+ N E: U6 @0 L; r( P$ B
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The buildup of supply has been "colossal" and is responsible for oil prices falling this week, Thomas Finlon, director of Energy Analytics Group LLC, told Bloomberg News.
# `3 N$ u+ g, @$ F; m5 pWinter weather and refinery outages have contributed to the supply glut. Even when those conditions subside, topped-out inventories and continued production growth may continue to suppress oil prices for the near- and medium-term, according to Bloomberg Industries.
1 \( r+ b+ }! aMeanwhile, the U.S. is pumping oil at a faster pace than any time since 1972.
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9 r" c) s# m7 o0 g* hU.S. oil production since 1983. Source: EIA
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