Oil Prices Slip as Weaker Demand Outlook Takes Center Stage
Oil prices eased on Thursday as attention turned to expectations of weaker global oil demand this year.
The latest data from the Energy Information Administration showed that U.S. commercial crude oil inventories posted their largest weekly gain since January 2023, rising by 17.4 million barrels to 424.4 million barrels in the week ended August 7.
This was despite a significant build-up of exports and lower consumption forecasts from OPEC and the International Energy Agency, which lowered its world oil demand growth forecast for 2026 to 580,000 barrels per day in its monthly oil market report.