Oil Stocks Plummet
U.S. Crude Stocks Reach Historic Lows, Fueling Oil Price Surge on Robust Demand
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Key Points
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Brent crude jumped about 7.5% to $90.42 a barrel and WTI rose about 7.5% to $85.22 after the inventory data release.
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U.S. SPR crude stock declined by roughly 3.8 million barrels to about 307.65 million, the lowest level in decades (since 1983).
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Cushing, Oklahoma inventories fell to 18.6 million barrels, the lowest since 2014 and clearly below the 20 million-barrel operating threshold.
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Refinery throughput rose by 271,000 barrels per day to 17.3 million bpd, with refinery utilization at 97.2%, and gasoline production around 9.9 million bpd with distillate at about 5.4 million bpd.
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Total U.S. crude stocks excluding the SPR fell to 404.5 million barrels, the lowest in roughly a year and about 7% below the five-year average.
U.S. commercial crude inventories plunged 7.2 million barrels in the week ending July 24, according to EIA, far exceeding the 600,000-barrel draw analysts expected. Stockpiles fell to 404.5 million barrels — the lowest level in roughly a year and about 7% below the five-year average.
Oil prices surged on the news. Brent crude jumped about 7.5% to $90.42 a barrel. WTI rose a similar amount to $85.22. Argaam noted the drop was the steepest in years and caught markets off guard.
Refineries Running at Full Tilt Drive the Draw
High refinery demand was the biggest driver behind the inventory drop. Refinery throughput rose by 271,000 barrels per day to 17.3 million bpd, according to Energy News Beat. Utilization hit 97.2% — near the upper limit of what the system can handle. Gasoline output ran at about 9.9 million barrels per day, while distillate production reached roughly 5.4 million bpd.
At the same time, imports fell and exports edged higher. That one-two punch — more crude going into refineries and less coming in from abroad — accelerated the drawdown. XTB described the combination as a "significant drop" driven by all three factors hitting at once.
Cushing Hub Drops Below the Critical 20 Million Barrel Floor
Inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma — the main U.S. crude storage hub — fell to 18.6 million barrels. That is the lowest level since 2014. It also puts stocks clearly below the 20 million-barrel threshold that traders watch closely. Below that level, pipeline and storage operations get harder to manage.
Tight Cushing stocks can push oil prices higher on their own. Combined with the broader national draw, the signal to markets was clear: U.S. supply is getting squeezed. Investing Live reported that crude futures moved to new highs immediately after the EIA data dropped.
SPR Hits Lowest Level Since 1983 as Total Stocks Sink
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve — the government's emergency oil stockpile — fell by roughly 3.8 million barrels to about 307.65 million barrels. That is the lowest SPR level since 1983. Combined with commercial stocks, total U.S. crude inventories dropped about 11 million barrels to roughly 712.2 million barrels — the lowest combined figure since 1984.
The SPR has been shrinking steadily as the government has not rebuilt it after earlier releases. That long-term decline is now compounding the tightness in commercial supplies. With less cushion in reserve, any future supply shock would hit the market harder and faster.
Middle East Tensions Add Pressure on Top of Tight Supply
The inventory report landed against a backdrop of rising geopolitical risk. Crypto Briefing noted that disruptions tied to tensions involving Iran have already rattled oil markets in recent weeks, with earlier data showing commercial stocks at record lows near 409.7 million barrels for the week ending July 10.
Analysts say the combination of tight U.S. stockpiles and Middle East uncertainty is a powerful price driver. Supply concerns abroad make every domestic inventory number matter more. With Brent above $90 and WTI above $85, the market is pricing in that risk — and the data is backing it up.
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