 鲜花( 21)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Another Big Reason to Think Oil Prices Aren't Going Up Soon
O- }; r6 N' i6 D4 R7 X5 d2 I
" D& Q: m( Q! eby Tom Randall f& } o5 s& N% q4 h4 K4 x
9 a# k( k. x( o0 X
Oil 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.
* s0 l5 o, Q/ XOil 'Rally'$ u1 |& r* i! c
; x( [$ q. O( d' WOne 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. ; I& Y: n) b1 ?
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.
: G, p& }. Z6 gU.S. Oil Inventories Reach 80-Year High% o$ l4 P2 g2 Y8 u. j- k
& L" X1 J/ R1 ]' R% n3 T9 o; h7 GThe 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. , ]1 o4 I0 I2 m$ w0 V: [
Winter 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.
' x, o6 k" d& ^2 ~ n8 iMeanwhile, the U.S. is pumping oil at a faster pace than any time since 1972.; m6 x$ R% O$ g1 E6 o5 u
3 l2 o9 ]9 Y/ v$ u; h& w- \/ j
U.S. oil production since 1983. Source: EIA
( o7 j# Y$ p) w% S
, ]* L# q, z, I; Q5 s4 A7 e9 N |
|