A pump jack is seen at sunrise near Bakersfield, California October 14, 2014. U.S. total oil demand rose in September for the second consecutive month on a year-over-year basis as strong gasoline consumption offset weak distillate sales, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. U.S. oil demand in September rose by 2.3 percent, or 446,000 barrels per day (bpd), from a year ago to 19.86 million bpd, according to the EIA’s petroleum supply monthly report. The demand growth was led once again by gasoline, which rose by 2.2 percent, or 203,000 bpd, from a year ago to 9.49 million bpd in September, the data showed. Gasoline demand surged over the summer, including record numbers in June.[nL1N1BC25N] Despite steady demand, U.S. refiners are still battling weak margins due to stubbornly high gasoline inventories built up during the boon years of 2014 and 2015. The gasoline demand overcame a drop […]