Crude Slumps On Big Inventory Build Despite Biggest Production Plunge In 10 Months

Overnight exuberance sparked by lower than expected Cushing build reported by API is fading on the heels of June OPEC headlines of no production limits (and rising Saudi production) heading into DOE inventory data. Crude inventories printed a significantly higher than expected 2.78mm build but Cushing saw a smaller than expected build of 243k. Gaosline surprised with a 536k build (API 1.17m draw) and Distillates saw a smaller than API build of 1.26m barrels.

The biggest news was the biggest plunge in US production since July 2015, and yet inventories still rose suggesting that fundamentally this is and has been as much a demand story as one of supply (even as OPEC countries are happy to offset declining US output).

 

API:

  • Crude +1.265m (+750k exp)
  • Cushing +382k (+1.3m exp.. Genscape +821k)
  • Gasoline -1.17m
  • Distillates -2.6m

DOE:

  • Crude +2.78m (+750k exp)
  • Cushing +243k (+1.3m exp.. Genscape +821k)
  • Gasoline +536k
  • Distillates -1.26m

Overall inventory levels continue to rise…

 

Production plunged by the most sicne July 2015 (driven by a 16.2% collapse in Alaska production – Lower 48 fell 0.4% Wow)

 

On the all important topic of gasoline, which has been a key bullish driver in recent months, gasoline stocks rose 0.5MM to 241.8MM…

 

… even as consumption is moving briskly higher, and is now above the 10 year maximum for this time of the year.

 

However, whatever it is that the algos were looking at, the reaction in crude was quick:

 

Crude prices are slipping (focused on the outsize inventory build) since the plunge in production is driven more by Alaska (down 16.2% Wow) as opposed to Lower 48 (down 0.4% WoW)…

via http://ift.tt/1W7EQyD Tyler Durden

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