
Record 360 Bcf gas storage draw leaves US stocks below average
The EIA reported the largest weekly gas storage withdrawal on record as Winter Storm Fern drove consumption 29% above normal and froze Gulf Coast production.

The EIA reported the largest weekly gas storage withdrawal on record as Winter Storm Fern drove consumption 29% above normal and froze Gulf Coast production.

API reported an 11.1 million barrel crude draw for the week ending January 31, dwarfing expectations for a build and marking the steepest weekly decline since mid-2023.

Crude prices fell for the first time in three days after Tehran announced nuclear negotiations with Washington will take place Friday in Muscat, easing fears of imminent military action.

Brent crude rose to $68.68 and WTI hit $65.14 after a US F-35C shot down an Iranian Shahed drone near the USS Lincoln, while IRGC gunboats challenged a US tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

WTI plunged 5% to $62 as US-Iran talks eased war fears, but drone strikes and OPEC supply decisions keep traders guessing on what comes next.

Norway's Equinor will exit onshore Vaca Muerta in a cash-and-stock deal with Vista Energy, keeping its Argentine offshore exploration licenses intact.

Henry Hub gas settled at $4.35/MMBtu after prices swung from $3.10 to above $5 in a single week as Winter Storm Fern slashed production to a two-year low.

Brent crude gained roughly 14% in January, its best month since July 2023, as escalating US-Iran tensions and a live-fire drill in the Strait of Hormuz drove a geopolitical risk premium into prices.

Both oil supermajors topped Wall Street expectations on January 30, leaning on record production from the Permian Basin and Guyana to offset a roughly 20% drop in crude prices.