U.S. Commercial Crude Oil Inventories Increase Last Week International oil prices fell on September 21

By the close of the day, light crude futures for November delivery fell $1, or 1.
19%, to settle at $82.
94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange; London Brent crude futures for November delivery fell $0.
79, or 0.
87%,
to settle at $89.
83 a barrel.

Data released by the US Energy Information Administration on the 21st showed that US commercial crude oil inventories last week were 430.
8 million barrels, an increase of 1.
1 million barrels
from the previous month.

The data also showed that the average crude oil processing volume of US refineries last week was 16.
4 million barrels per day, an increase of 333,000 barrels from the previous week; the average operating rate of US refineries last week was 93.
6%, up from 91.
5% the previous week; U.
S.
net crude oil imports averaged 3.
407 million barrels per day last week, a sharp increase of 1.
13 million barrels month-on-month, and U.
S.
gasoline consumption averaged 8.
6 million barrels per day in the past four weeks, down 9.
6% year-on-year and the lowest level since February
.

It is worth noting that commercial crude oil inventories in the Cushing region of the United States were 25 million barrels last week, an increase of 300,000 barrels from the previous month; U.
S.
strategic crude oil reserves were 427 million barrels last week, down 6.
899 million barrels month-on-month, and U.
S.
crude oil production averaged 12.
1 million barrels per day last week, unchanged
month-on-month.