The fall in gasoline supplied last week suggests a near-term peak in demand

Oil prices post back-to-back gains as worries about economic outlook fade

The fall in gasoline supplied last week below the four-week average suggests a near-term peak in demand, analysts at Sevens Report Research said in a note.

Encouragingly, the four-week average did rise by 37,000 barrels a day to 9.07 million barrels a day, so there’s hope that demand could still be a source of fundamental support, they said, though last week wasn’t a step in that direction, based on the data.

Oil rose Wednesday not so much because of the EIA data, but rather because economic data eased worries about recession, added to expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in the fall and boosted hopes for a soft economic landing in the U.S., they wrote.

“The stabilization in oil should be considered fragile, however, as the oil market does not like sources of uncertainty like OPEC+ delivered with last weekend’s production policy decision,” the analysts said.