Government data due at 10:30 a.m. EDT will likely show U.S. crude stockpiles increased about 2 million barrels last week, which would be the ninth straight gain and bring inventories to 376.7 million barrels. But a comparable report from the American Petroleum Institute, issued late Tuesday, showed crude inventories fell 1 million barrels.
"If the API report turns out to have been prescient in its figures, in regard to the DOE statistics this morning, we would have to expect to see prices rally," said Peter Beutel, president of energy risk management firm Cameron Hanover, in a note to clients.
In the U.S. government data, the Energy Information Administration is expected to show crude inventories rose by 2.1 million barrels, gasoline stocks rose 100,000 barrels and stocks of distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, rose 1.2 million barrels in the week ended May 1, according to analysts.
Refinery use is seen rising 0.1 percentage point to 82.8% of capacity.
Quote from Blubaru_555:
small short@ 55.45.
IV posted the API numbers, you have to look back a little.