Crude oil futures sent reeling as DoE data shows build in US oil stockpiles

Commercial crude oil stockpiles in the States increased by 14.4m barrels a day over the week ending on 28 October to reach 482.6m, according to the Energy Information Administration, the US Department of Energy´s statistical arm.

That came about as imports rose by 2.0m b/d in comparison to the previous week.

In parallel, gasoline inventories saw a build of 2.2m b/d while those of distillates shrank by 1.8m b/d.

Refineries operated at 85.2% of their operating capacity during the reference week.

As of 1447 BST front month Brent crude oil futures were retreating 3.33% to $46.61 a barrel and those for West Texas Intermediate were 3.4% lower to $45.13 a barrel on the NYMEX.

In a separate report, the DoE said US gasoline consumption grew by 169,000 barrels a day form June to August or by 1.8% in comparison to the same period of 2015.

Increased gasoline consumption was slightly lower than the incerase in driving, suggesting that fuel economy improvements slightly offset that rise.