US Crude Inventories Unexpectedly Rise

2026-07-21 23:05 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

US crude oil inventories posted an unexpected build of 2.603 million barrels in the week ending July 17, compared with market expectations for a 1.5 million-barrel draw, after a 564,000-barrel decline in the previous week.

Despite the increase, commercial crude inventories excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) have fallen by more than 57 million barrels over the past 13 weeks and remain about 7 million barrels lower year-to-date.

At the same time, the SPR declined by another 5.1 million barrels to 316.5 million, the lowest in more than 43 years and roughly 420 million barrels below its maximum capacity.

Cushing inventories fell by 737,000 barrels and gasoline stockpiles decreased by 1.379 million barrels, while distillate inventories rose by 1.759 million barrels.

US crude production edged up to 13.861 million barrels per day, as oil prices remained supported by renewed US-Iran tensions and continued shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.



News Stream
US Crude Inventories Unexpectedly Rise
US crude oil inventories posted an unexpected build of 2.603 million barrels in the week ending July 17, compared with market expectations for a 1.5 million-barrel draw, after a 564,000-barrel decline in the previous week. Despite the increase, commercial crude inventories excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) have fallen by more than 57 million barrels over the past 13 weeks and remain about 7 million barrels lower year-to-date. At the same time, the SPR declined by another 5.1 million barrels to 316.5 million, the lowest in more than 43 years and roughly 420 million barrels below its maximum capacity. Cushing inventories fell by 737,000 barrels and gasoline stockpiles decreased by 1.379 million barrels, while distillate inventories rose by 1.759 million barrels. US crude production edged up to 13.861 million barrels per day, as oil prices remained supported by renewed US-Iran tensions and continued shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
2026-07-21
US Crude Supplies Fall Less Than Expected
US crude oil inventories fell by 564,000 barrels in the week ending July 10, less than the expected 2.7 million-barrel decline, following a 399,000-barrel draw the previous week. Commercial crude inventories, excluding the SPR, have declined by more than 60 million barrels over the past 12 weeks but remain only 9.2 million barrels lower year-to-date. The SPR fell by another 2.99 million barrels to 316.5 million, the lowest level in more than 43 years and about 415 million barrels below its maximum capacity. Cushing inventories rose by 238,000 barrels after falling 69,000 barrels the week before. Gasoline inventories declined by 1.664 million barrels, while distillate inventories increased by 2.3 million barrels. Meanwhile, US oil production rose to 13.860 million bpd from 13.810 million bpd.
2026-07-15
US Oil Stockpiles Fall for Another Week
US crude oil inventories fell by 399,000 barrels in the week ending July 3, following a 6.072 million-barrel draw the previous week. Commercial crude inventories, excluding the SPR, have declined by nearly 60 million barrels over the past 12 weeks but remain only 8.6 million barrels lower year-to-date. The SPR fell by another 6.2 million barrels to 325.7 million, leaving inventories about 405 million barrels below maximum capacity. Cushing inventories declined by 69,000 barrels after rising 503,000 barrels the week before. Gasoline and distillate inventories fell by 2.929 million and 1.801 million barrels, respectively. Meanwhile, US oil production edged down to 13.810 million bpd from 13.819 million bpd.
2026-07-07