Demand for oil products in the United States over the past four weeks rose to a record 21.9 million barrels per day due to strong economic activity, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed on Wednesday.
The data showed gasoline demand jumped last week to 9.1 million barrels per day, although the four-week average fell slightly from seasonal levels.
Refiners found it difficult to keep up with demand, with refineries ‘ consumption of crude increased by 329 thousand barrels per day last week, which increased the operating rates of refineries by 1.5 percentage points to 88.2% of their total production capacity.
