AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 5/13/22

Futures slid 0.5 percent after advancing 1.2 percent earlier. Oil may slip below $40 unless there are sustained inventory declines and a drop in the rig count, according to Goldman Sachs. U.S. crude stockpiles probably fell by 2.85 million barrels last week, a Bloomberg survey showed before an Energy Information Administration report Wednesday. “The market is still searching for a new equilibrium, and in particular for a lower band for the oil-price range,” said Jan Edelmann, an analyst at HSH Nordbank AG in Hamburg. Investor sentiment is “close to its lows,” which may cause a “renewed downswing in prices to sub-$40.” Click Read More below for additional detail.

The optimism for the U.S. benchmark came after Baker Hughes BHGE, -1.08% reported that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil was down 4 at 747 last week, breaking a three-week string of rising rig numbers. A drop in rigs implies a slowdown in drilling activity, which is usually boost oil prices. Brent also got a boost from the closure of North Sea Forties pipeline due to a power outage. “The outage of the North Sea’s most important oil and gas pipeline is continuing to lend support,” analysts at Commerzbank said in a note. Click Read More below for additional information.

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.830190; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.155479; American Dollar to Euro = 1.218656; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.009191; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.050207.