That's the most general way to look at it, and the way that makes logical sense. Inventory less than projected? Supply shortage! Price should go up!
Yes. What I meant above by it being a stronger bar, I meant as being more intense, not up per se. I do range-bars and not time, so I word things weirder because the difference between time-based traders and range-based traders is like night and day.
As for the reasons?
Today was an OPEC meeting day, and something must have come out/leaked about production at 9AM ET that caused the drop. Then 10:30 report hit, and the market took to that news. As the combination of those events was absorbed, CL drifted higher into the close.
There is just way too much stuff going on with the energy sector to make any specific ideation about how CL will move when the weekly inventory report drops.
EIA, API, Platts, OPEC...There are so many variables. Not to mention, the COVID impacting demand.
And now, another variable comes into the mix...hurricane season. We get a strong cat storm bearing down on the gulf, and it will get even more wacky. Especially on RB prices.