Oil Slumps as U.S. Mulls Releasing Reserves Again to Cool Prices

(Bloomberg) -- Oil tumbled on signs the Biden administration is considering tapping U.S. reserves again in a potentially massive release to tackle rising inflation and supply shortages following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

West Texas Intermediate futures fell more than 5% to trade near $102 a barrel, trimming a fourth monthly gain. The U.S. is considering a release of roughly 1 million barrels of oil a day for several months, said people familiar with the matter. The news comes ahead of an OPEC+ meeting Thursday and follows calls by key members for the U.S. to trust its strategy of managing the market.

See also: What a Sizable U.S. Oil Release May Mean for Energy Markets

The U.S. could release as much as 180 million barrels from its reserves, the people said, providing relief to a market that’s tightened significantly due to the war in Europe. The invasion has fanned inflation and led to wild volatility across commodity markets, with global benchmark Brent crude set for the widest trading range on record this month.

The U.S. plans are accompanied by a diplomatic push for the International Energy Agency to coordinate a global release. A final decision hasn’t been reached on that yet, but the White House may make an announcement on the U.S. release as soon as Thursday, one of the people said.

“Suggestions that we could see up to 180 million barrels released over several months is significant and would help to ease some of the tightness in the market,” said Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy at ING Groep NV in Singapore. It would be the biggest release on record for the U.S., he added.

Biden has already ordered two large releases of oil from U.S. reserves in the past six month but it’s done little to tame rampant prices. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said this week that the U.S. must trust its supply strategy after the cartel faced calls to pump more.

OPEC+ is expected to ratify a modest output increase of 432,000 barrels a day for May when it meets later Thursday, according to a Bloomberg survey. The alliance wrapped up its previous meeting on supply in a record 13 minutes, which was held just days after Russia invaded its neighbor. 

The market is also facing the prospect of a hit to demand as China tackles a virus resurgence. The nation has initiated a series of lockdowns to curb its spread, including in Shanghai, which is starting to impact the economy -- China’s manufacturing activity contracted this month.

Record U.S. gasoline prices may be crimping consumption as the cost to fill up tanks soars. U.S. gasoline demand fell for a third consecutive week, according to the Energy Information Administration, defying seasonal trends.

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