U.S. crude oil inventories rose last week, contrasting with declines in gasoline and distillate stocks, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The EIA reported Wednesday that crude inventories climbed by 95,000 barrels to 428.9 million barrels for the week ending August 21, 2025. The increase fell short of analyst projections, which had anticipated a rise of 597,000 barrels. At the Cushing, Oklahoma hub, crude stockpiles expanded by 1.2 million barrels.
Refinery activity showed a marginal decline, with crude processing falling by 2,000 barrels per day. Refinery utilization rates, however, edged up by 0.2 percentage point to 97.4%, indicating steady operational levels despite the slight reduction in throughput.
Gasoline inventories dropped by 2.5 million barrels to 206.8 million barrels, exceeding analyst expectations of a 0.7 million barrel decline. Distillate inventories, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.2 million barrels to 103.4 million barrels, also surpassing forecasts that had projected a 1.6 million barrel reduction.
The mixed inventory data suggests varying demand dynamics across the petroleum complex, with gasoline and distillate markets tightening more than crude, despite the unexpected build in crude stocks.
