EIA's Regional Breakdown Reveals What Headline Oil Numbers Hide

The EIA's Weekly Petroleum Status Report publishes Table 4—crude oil stocks by PAD District—alongside national totals. The granularity matters: a Gulf Coast inventory swing often reflects export logistics or refinery turnarounds; a Midwest move signals Cushing dynamics affecting WTI basis. Traders decomposing regional detail extract edge the headline barrel count alone cannot provide. Without it, a crude build driven by falling exports reads identically to one from weakening refinery demand, masking the signal beneath.