FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

US Total Crude Oil Stocks Fall in Week Ended May 15, Led by Draws in SPR

By

US crude oil stocks, including those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, declined by 17.8 million barrels in the week ended May 15 following a decrease of 12.9 million barrels in the previous week.

Excluding inventories in the SPR, commercial crude oil stocks decreased by 7.9 million barrels after a 4.3-million-barrel decline in the previous week, a larger decline than the 2.5-million-barrel decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

Stocks in the SPR fell by 9.9 million in the week after falling by 8.6 million in the previous week.

Overall crude oil stocks were down 2.1% from the previous week and 2.9% from a year earlier. Crude oil inventories are about 2% below the five-year average for this time of the year.

Gasoline stocks decreased by 1.5 million barrels, less than the 2.2-million-barrel decrease expected. Gasoline stocks were down 0.7% from the previous week and down 5% from a year earlier.

Distillate stocks rose by 400,000 barrels in the current week, compared with an expected decrease of 1.7 million barrels. Distillate stocks were up 0.4% from the previous week but were 1.2% lower than in the same week a year ago.

Refineries operated at 91.6% of their capacity, down from 91.7% in the previous week.

Related Articles

Sectors

Sector Update: Energy Stocks Rise Late Afternoon

Energy stocks were higher late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.8% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1.4%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was decreasing 0.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index rose 0.7%.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.8% at $107.77 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was shedding 0.6% to $111.39 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 3.6% to $3.13 per 1 million BTU.In corporate news, X-Energy (XE) can deploy about 20 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2040 underpinned by a solid technology value proposition, a capital-light business model, and commercial partnerships, Morgan Stanley said in a note. Morgan Stanley started coverage of the stock at overweight with a price target of $41. X-Energy shares gained 4%.Cenovus Energy's (CVE) addition of MEG Energy's Christina Lake asset to its portfolio late last year has created a huge in-situ oil sands complex which should yield synergistic development opportunities for decades to come, RBC Capital Markets said in a note. Cenovus shares rose 0.7%.Equinor (EQNR) shares climbed 2.8% after the firm said it has signed a five-year agreement with Dutch energy provider Eneco to supply natural gas from the Norwegian continental shelf.BP (BP) maintained the lockout at its Whiting refinery in Indiana after failing to reach a deal with the United Steelworkers, Local 7-1, the company said. BP shares were up 1%.

$BP$CVE$EQNR$XE
Sectors

Sector Update: Consumer Stocks Mixed Late Afternoon

Consumer stocks were mixed late Tuesday afternoon with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) increasing 0.2% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) shedding 1.1%.In sector news, Redbook US same-store sales last week rose 8.1% from a year earlier after a 9.6% increase in the previous week. "Coming off last-minute Mother's Day shopping on Sunday, sales and traffic slowed across the board in the middle of the week, but picked up during the weekend as graduation, BBQ season, and warm weather approached," Redbook said.In corporate news, Estee Lauder (EL) remains in talks with Puig over a potential business combination, though there's no announcement to make yet, Reuters reported, citing Estee Lauder CEO Stephane de La Faverie. Estee Lauder shares fell 5.4%.Home Depot (HD) reported fiscal Q1 results above market expectations despite consumer uncertainty, while the home improvement retailer reiterated its full-year outlook.The shares rose 0.7%.Wall Street banks started a debt sale on behalf of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) comprised of a $5 billion dollar loan and a 1 billion euro ($1.16 billion) loan, Bloomberg reported. Warner Bros. shares were little changed.Amer Sports (AS) raised its full-year guidance after the Finnish sports equipment company reported better-than-expected Q1 results. Amer shares climbed 1.8%.

$AS$EL$HD$WBD
Sectors

Sector Update: Financial Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

Financial stocks were lower in late Tuesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.5% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) shedding 1.1%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 1.9%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.2%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was decreasing 0.2% to $76,806, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 4.4 basis points to 4.667%.In economic news, US pending home sales increased more than expected last month as home buyers apparently shrugged off mounting economic uncertainty. The forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings increased 1.4% month over month in April, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. Analysts expected a 1% gain, according to a survey compiled by Bloomberg.In corporate news, Hanover Insurance (THG) shares fell 2.2% after BMO downgraded the company's stock to market perform from outperform.Blackstone (BX) shares were down 2.3% after Bloomberg reported Tuesday the company has dropped out of a consortium exploring a takeover of German media group Stroeer. Separately, Blackstone said late Monday it is forming a US-based joint venture with Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google to provide AI-focused data center capacity and cloud computing services. Blackstone said it will invest $5 billion in equity initially for the JV, which plans to bring its first 500 megawatts of capacity online in 2027 and expand further over time.Blue Owl (OWL) Co-Founder Doug Ostrover is selling his stake in the NFL's Washington Commanders back to the Josh Harris-led ownership group, Bloomberg reported. Blue Owl shares fell 1%.Lloyds Banking (LYG) is preparing to expand its US infrastructure financing business, including lending tied to the fast-growing data center sector, the Financial Times reported. The UK lender is aiming to build a US infrastructure bank focused on large construction projects and sectors such as green energy, while supporting UK corporate clients with US operations, the report said. Lloyds shares were fractionally lower.

$BX$LYG$OWL$THG