US crude oil inventories now stand at 429.3 million barrels, about 6% below the five-year average for this time of year. This decline coincides with a significant drop in US crude oil imports, which averaged 6.2 million barrels per day last week, down 729,000 barrels per day from the previous week.
The uptick in prices is underpinned by a notable decline in global oil inventories, which decreased by approximately 400,000 barrels per day in the first half of the year, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).