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Another Big Reason to Think Oil Prices Aren't Going Up Soon
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by Tom Randall) M* g: L+ V7 Z9 U3 W" G, N0 J
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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. 7 t0 D5 C) I; g9 i, R5 b
Oil '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.
3 F+ d6 m, q8 G7 m3 K/ aCrude 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. 9 j) x( T5 Z0 N
U.S. Oil Inventories Reach 80-Year High
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7 t: a' R# `) V% [, d1 BThe 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.
9 z% t2 v) F& A' B4 oWinter 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. ( L$ k% M" d F) l, G6 V
Meanwhile, the U.S. is pumping oil at a faster pace than any time since 1972.
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7 h# n3 i( D6 S: bU.S. oil production since 1983. Source: EIA
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