EIA数据点评：原油库存超预期去化，汽油库存降至5月以来低点

Report Summary 1) Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. 2) Core Viewpoints of the Report As of the week ending August 15, the national commercial crude oil inventory decreased more than expected, driven by the rebound in exports from the Gulf Coast. There were significant regional supply - demand differences, with the Cushing delivery point inventory rising for seven consecutive weeks, a sharp drop in the West Coast inventory, and a slight increase in the Midwest inventory. In refined oil products, gasoline inventory reached the lowest level since May, diesel inventory rose to a March high, and aviation kerosene demand was strong. The import - export structure was significantly adjusted, domestic crude oil production increased slightly but had limited long - term growth potential, and refinery processing volume generally remained high. In the derivatives market, inventory changes affected futures spreads and crack spreads [1]. 3) Summary by Relevant Catalogs I. Regional Differentiation in Crude Oil Inventory - The national commercial crude oil inventory decreased by 6 million barrels, a week - on - week decline of 1.4%, mainly driven by the increase in exports from the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) to 4.38 million barrels per day, the highest since April [2]. - The Cushing delivery point inventory increased by 420,000 barrels to 23.47 million barrels, reaching the highest level since early June, narrowing the WTI near - month futures spread [2]. - The West Coast (PADD 5) inventory decreased by 4.89 million barrels to 44.73 million barrels due to the increase in refinery operating rate to 90.2%. The Midwest (PADD 2) inventory slightly increased by 1.74 million barrels because of the closure of the BP Whiting refinery caused by heavy rain [2]. II. Differentiated Trends in Refined Oil Inventory - Gasoline inventory decreased by 2.72 million barrels to 223.57 million barrels, the lowest since May, supported by the increase in exports to 1.02 million barrels per day. However, the implied demand dropped to 8.84 million barrels per day, indicating the end of the summer driving season [3]. - Diesel inventory increased by 2.34 million barrels to 116.03 million barrels, reaching the highest level since March, mainly due to the decrease in exports. Although the weekly demand climbed to 39.67 million barrels [3]. - Aviation kerosene demand remained strong, with a weekly consumption of 1.9 million barrels per day, reaching the peak in the same period since 2019, supported by the high - level TSA airport security checks [3]. - The continuous accumulation of Cushing inventory suppressed the WTI futures term structure, with the October/November contract spread narrowing to less than $0.2 per barrel. The increase in Gulf Coast exports widened the Brent - WTI spread to $4.5 per barrel, stimulating active arbitrage trading. The increase in diesel inventory weakened the support for crack spreads, while the strong demand for aviation kerosene maintained its crack spread at the annual high of $28 per barrel [3]. III. Significant Adjustment in Import - Export Structure - The net crude oil imports decreased by 36.4% to 2.13 million barrels per day, with imports decreasing by 420,000 barrels to 6.5 million barrels per day. Iraqi imports jumped 131% to 330,000 barrels per day, reflecting the diversification of refinery raw material selection under the background of OPEC+ production increase [4]. - The utilization rate of Gulf Coast infrastructure increased, driving crude oil exports to grow 22.2% to 4.37 million barrels per day, expanding for the fourth consecutive week and becoming the core driving force for inventory reduction [4]. IV. Production and Refinery Operation Dynamics - Domestic crude oil production increased slightly by 0.4% to 13.38 million barrels per day, reaching the highest level since early July. However, the slowdown in drilling activities indicated limited long - term production growth potential [5]. - Refinery processing volume increased by 0.2% to 17.21 million barrels per day. The processing volume in the East Coast (PADD 1) increased by 4% to 830,000 barrels per day due to the restart of refineries, leading to a 1.3% decrease in the regional inventory. The national refinery capacity utilization rate remained at a high level of 96.6%, but the utilization rate in the Midwest (PADD 2) decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 100.8% and may face further pressure due to equipment failures [5].