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Another Big Reason to Think Oil Prices Aren't Going Up Soon
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by Tom Randall+ O1 k9 y; |) V, B' g
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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.
) Z4 G! K1 g7 q3 m; ^* mOil '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. - x* o: W2 v! P* b- b9 l" y* q
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. % b, F- R4 Z9 z5 d. U
U.S. Oil Inventories Reach 80-Year High: I6 r1 F% I( c9 |4 e. k
3 T' k7 N. A# t3 ~# A, iThe 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.
, r z! p5 @5 B, M+ c YWinter 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. + b" n. c5 S# X7 g0 |3 f
Meanwhile, the U.S. is pumping oil at a faster pace than any time since 1972.
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% D) v2 t( P# bU.S. oil production since 1983. Source: EIA/ U. H2 c$ W" l
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