Amid restarting refineries along the Gulf Coast and growing optimism about strengthening demand, the EIA dampened spirits somewhat by reporting a substantial increase in crude oil inventories for the week to September 15. These, according to the authority, stood at 472.8 million barrels as of last Friday, up by 4.6 million barrels from the previous week, which saw a 5.9-million-barrel increase. S&P Platts said at the start of this week that analysts it polled had forecast a 2.4-million-barrel build in crude oil stockpiles, with the agency warning this would pressure prices, along with a surge in oil imports. The oil futures editor of the service noted that “U.S. inventory data will reflect post-Hurricane Harvey adjustments for another few weeks, at a minimum, as Gulf Coast refiners, terminals and ports continue the process of returning to normal.” The American Petroleum Institute had estimated crude inventories to September 15 to have […]