The price of black gold is again moving in the opposite direction on Thursday morning, which was provided by statistics on the level of raw material reserves in the US. Official data from the Department of Energy rather disappointed market participants, as it reflected an increase in gasoline reserves in the country.

According to a report presented by the US Department of Energy, the level of gasoline reserves increased by 1.9 million barrels last week, which ended October 16. This is contrary to the expected reduction of about 1.6 million barrels in the initial data. American Petroleum Institute (API) also expected it to fall by 1.6 million barrels. The real situation is very different from what analysts had suggested, and this seriously affects the mood of investors.

Meanwhile, the same conclusions were drawn that the demand for gasoline in the US for the previous week fell by 290,000 barrels per day, which forced it to move to its minimum levels recorded at the beginning of this summer. Thus, this figure is now 8.29 million barrels per day.

Most of the market participants were unbalanced by data on the growth of gasoline reserves, which unexpectedly showed a negative trend. In addition, they are the most reliable indicator that the consequences of the second wave of coronavirus infection were still much more significant than it was in the spring.

At the same time, the US Department of Energy confirmed that the total amount of crude oil reserves in the country decreased by 1 million barrels. However, this was not enough to lift the mood of market participants.

Investors are particularly stressed by the news from Libya, which recently started talking about actively restoring black gold production in spite of the agreement with OPEC. According to official data announced by the Deputy Prime Minister, oil production has increased to 500,000 barrels per day, and by the end of this month, it is expected to increase to 550,000 - 560,000 barrels per day. In addition, the market is particularly saddened by the fact that Libya plans to increase production to the level of 1 million barrels per day by the end of this year.

The price of futures contracts for Brent crude oil for December delivery on the trading floor in London fell 0.48% or $0.2, which sent it to $41.53 per barrel. Wednesday's trading ended with a rapid that unsettled the work of most investors. At the closing of trading, it lost 3.3% or $1.43.

The price of futures contracts for WTI crude oil for delivery in December on the electronic trading floor in New York also sank 0.57% or $0.23, which sent it to $39.80 per barrel. Wednesday's trading ended with a global decline of 4% or $1.67.