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Informist, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025

MUMBAI – Crude oil inventories in the US, excluding those in strategic petroleum reserves, fell by 3.4 million barrels to 424.2 million barrels in the week ended Friday, the US Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report. Analysts at Dow Jones had expected crude oil stocks to rise by 100,000 barrels from the previous week. US crude oil inventories were about 5% below the five-year average for this time of the year, the report said. 

Petrol inventories rose by 2.3 million barrels from the previous week to 207.4 million barrels in the week ended Friday. The analysts at Dow Jones poll had expected petrol stocks to fall by 100,000 barrels. Petrol stocks were 3% below the five-year average for this time of the year. Distillate fuel stocks rose by 200,000 barrels to 111.1 million barrels in the week ended Friday, against a fall of 1.5 million barrels expected in the Dow Jones poll. The distillate fuel stocks were 7% below the five-year average for this time of the year. 

According to the report, refinery utilisation rose to 90% from 89.4% in the previous week. Crude oil production in the US, the largest producer of the commodity, fell by 28,000 barrels per day to 13.83 million barrels per day in the week ended Friday.

For the week ended Friday, crude oil exports by the US rose by 1.3 million barrels per day to 4.2 million barrels per day, the report showed. Strategic petroleum reserves rose by 500,000 barrels to 410.9 million barrels during the week. 

US crude oil imports averaged 6.0 million barrels per day in the week ended Friday, up 729,000 barrels per day from the previous week. Over the past four weeks, US crude oil imports averaged around 5.5 million barrels per day, over 16% lower than the corresponding period last year. 

Of the top 10 countries that export crude oil to the US, imports from seven countries rose during the week. Imports from Colombia rose the most by 376,000 barrels in the week ended Friday and imports from Canada rose by 206,000 barrels per day to 3.8 million barrels per day. Imports from Brazil rose by 136,000 barrels in the week ended Friday. Imports from Saudi Arabia fell the most, by 210,000 barrels per day to 139,000 barrels in the week ended Friday.

Inventories of crude oil at Cushing, Oklahoma, a key delivery point for West Texas Intermediate crude, fell by 700,000 barrels to 21.8 million barrels in the week ended Friday. Cushing is the designated delivery point for NYMEX crude oil futures. Market participants closely monitor stockpiles at Cushing, as it has a storage capacity of about 90 million barrels. 

At 1253 IST, the most active January contract of West Texas Intermediate crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange was up 0.4% at $59.46 per barrel.  

End

US$1 = INR 88.71

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

Reported by Reshma Ravi

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

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