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Another Big Reason to Think Oil Prices Aren't Going Up Soon
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by Tom Randall
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# @; T4 v4 ?) c- ?6 I/ [5 IOil 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. ! B1 Y8 Q0 X% w. F: w& V
Oil 'Rally'; j; m* [0 Y* A9 j. Z
4 v5 t9 c; C2 ^" R \/ p6 T# zOne 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.
" a( w& ~% ~! C; d% x" U" J' }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. * \( e7 ~7 A1 j3 g. e7 Q% Z* @
U.S. Oil Inventories Reach 80-Year High2 n+ R0 ]0 u4 F; D. ^" l
" B9 I( |0 } W( M6 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.
3 J% \0 B0 k6 h7 q6 S; g" gWinter 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.
5 y; F5 Q0 p& P+ a" y" XMeanwhile, the U.S. is pumping oil at a faster pace than any time since 1972.
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, u7 ~1 \" P9 {9 \+ EU.S. oil production since 1983. Source: EIA
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