Oil prices were little changed on Wednesday after falling in the previous session after an industry report showed US crude stockpiles climbed last week illustrating the end of the seasonal summer demand period is nearing.
Brent crude futures gained 3 cents to 66.15 a barrel at 0102 GMT after dropping 0.8 per cent in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 3 cents to $63.14 after declining 1.2 per cent .
Crude inventories in the US , the world’s biggest oil consumer, rose by 1.52 million barrels last week, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Gasoline inventories dropped while distillate inventories gained slightly.
Should the US Energy Information Administration data set for release later on Wednesday also show a decline, it could indicate that consumption during the summer driving season has peaked and refiners are easing back their runs. The demand season typically runs from the Memorial Day holiday at the end of May to the Labor Day holiday in early September.
Analysts polled by Reuters expect the EIA report to show crude inventories fell by about 300,000 barrels last week.
Outlooks issued by OPEC and the EIA on Tuesday pointed to increased production this year which also weighed on prices. But both expect output in the US , the world’s largest producer, to decline in 2026 while other regions will increase oil and natural gas production.
US crude production will hit a record 13.41 million barrels per day in 2025 due to increases in well productivity, though lower oil prices will prompt output to fall in 2026, the EIA forecast in a monthly report.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ monthly report said global oil demand will rise by 1.38 million bpd in 2026, up 100,000 bpd from the previous forecast. Its 2025 projection was left unchanged.
The White House on Tuesday tempered the expectations for a quick Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal, which may lead investors to reconsider an end to the war soon and any easing on sanctions Russian supply, which had been supporting prices.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are due to meet in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending the war.
“Trump downplayed expectations of his meeting with President Putin … However, expectations of additional sanctions on Russian crude continue to fall,” ANZ senior commodity strategist Daniel Hynes wrote in a note.
