Oil down after US crude inventories rise against expectations
“Official US crude inventory data assumes greater than usual importance,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA. “A surprise increase could well be enough to initiate another downward leg in crude prices.”In Libya, the National Oil Company expects oil output to rise to more than a quarter of a million barrels per day (bpd) by next week, it said on Tuesday.The NOC said it was restarting exports from the Zueitinia oil terminal after checking the security situation at the port and fields that pipe crude there.An escalation in the country’s conflict led to a blockade of facilities, which is now easing, although analysts say they don’t expect Libya to reach the 1.2 million bpd of production it was pumping previously.This year, “world oil demand will be down by more than 10 percent on the year to around 90 million barrels per day (bpd) due to the COVID-19 crisis,” Eurasia Group said in a note.“This will mark the biggest demand shock in industry history,” it said.Topics : Oil prices fell on Wednesday after an industry group reported a surprise rise in United States crude, adding to worries about demand that led to a steep selloff earlier in the week.Brent crude was trading down 30 cents, or 0.7 percent, at US$41.42 a barrel by 0347 GMT, after gaining 28 cents on Tuesday, while US crude dropped 34 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $39.46.Both contracts fell more than 4 percent on Monday, the most in two weeks. Surging cases of coronavirus infections in countries including France and Spain, along with the likelihood of more restrictions in Britain have renewed worries about fuel demand, just as more supply may come onto the market from Libya.In the United States, where the death toll from COVID-19 has passed 200,000, the world’s highest, crude oil inventories rose by 691,000 barrels in the week to Sept. 18, according to industry data, compared with analysts’ forecasts for a drop of 2.3 million barrels.Gasoline stocks fell by nearly 7.7 million barrels, nearly eight times expectations suggesting some demand for fuel in the world’s biggest oil consuming nation.Official data from the Energy Information Administration is due out later on Wednesday.
Update on the latest sports — Nationals ace Max Scherzer is set to make his scheduled start against the Mets at Citi Field after leaving his previous outing early because of a hamstring issue. The three-time Cy Young Award winner lasted only one inning last Wednesday against New York due to a hamstring problem that first cropped up July 29 versus Toronto. But he felt good while throwing a bullpen Sunday and will try to keep Washington rolling in the wake of a 16-4 blowout over the Mets in the opener of a four-game series Monday.NBAFour teams vying for last West playoff spot in actionLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Memphis, Portland, San Antonio and Phoenix are the last four teams standing in the race for the last two play-in-game spots in the NBA’s Western conference. And all four teams are in action today.The margin between the eighth-place Grizzlies and 11th-place Spurs, at the start of the day, was just one game, and all four clubs had two games remaining. It was the first competitive match for Halep since she won the Dubai Championships in February for her 20th career WTA title. Before the Wimbledon champion recovered from a foot injury she sustained in Dubai, the coronavirus pandemic forced a five-month break. No. 2-seeded Petra Martic and No. 3 Elise Mertens also advanced. August 11, 2020 UMass is an independent in football and its decision affects only that sport. Most of UMass’ athletic teams compete in the Atlantic 10. Athletic director Ryan Bamford says the school will try to conduct a football spring season if possible. UMass joins fellow independent UConn, Old Dominion and all the schools in the Mid-American Conference and Mountain West — a total of 27 — in postponing its football season.MLBBlue Jays roam, where Buffalo’s home Associated Press 
Payne has spent the last 10 years at Kentucky, where he has been John Calipari’s associate head coach since 2014. He was part of the staff that won the 2012 national championship and won its first 38 games in 2014-15. The Wildcats reached four Final Fours and won 295 games with Payne working under Calipari. The 53-year-old Payne also spent five seasons as an assistant with Oregon. He will be reunited with former Wildcats Julius Randle and Kevin Knox in New York.TENNIS-PRAGUE OPENHalep advances in PraguePRAGUE, (AP) — Top-seeded Simona Halep had to fight hard to advance to the second round of the Prague Open in a three-set win over unseeded Polona Hercog. BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Baseball’s nomads, the Toronto Blue Jays, finally move into their new home at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, when they play the Miami Marlins. It’ll be the first time this year the Blue Jays are the actual host team. Canada’s government wouldn’t let them hold games at Rogers Centre in Toronto, fearful of opponents traveling into the city amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pittsburgh offered to let the Blue Jays play at PNC Park when the Pirates were on the road, but Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf wouldn’t sign off on it. That left the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, which last hosted a regular-season Major League Baseball game in 1915 when the Buffalo Blues finished sixth in the eight-team Federalist League. Elsewhere in the majors:— Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger won’t make his scheduled start against the Cubs after Cleveland learned he joined rotation-mate Zach Plesac in violating COVID-19 protocols by going out after a game Saturday in Chicago. Plesac was forced to travel home separately from the club Sunday, while Clevinger flew home with teammates without disclosing that he had been with Plesac. Cleveland said Clevinger will be quarantined and tested until he registers two negative results in 72 hours. Clevinger and Plesac could be facing additional discipline from the team. Meanwhile, Indians manager Terry Francona will return to the club after missing eight games to rest while dealing with a gastrointestinal condition that has bothered him since spring training in Arizona. Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditVIRUS OUTBREAK-MASSACHUSETTSMassachusetts cancels fall seasonAMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts has become the latest school from the Football Bowl Subdivision, college football’s highest level, to cancel its fall season. If Memphis and Portland both win today, and Phoenix and San Antonio both lose, the race is over and the Grizzlies and Blazers clinch spots.Otherwise, the race goes to Thursday, when it’ll have to be known who the two clubs are that will be headed to the best-of-two play-in series. The ninth-place finisher will have to beat the eighth-place finisher twice to advance.NBA-KNICKS-PAYNEKnicks lure Payne from KentuckyNEW YORK (AP) — Tom Thibodeau has made the first addition to his New York Knicks coaching staff. He hired Kenny Payne as an assistant. 
ANGELS at WHITE SOXWhen: 5 p.m.Where: Guaranteed Rate FieldTV: Fox Sports West THE PITCHERSANGELS RHP PARKER BRIDWELL (8-8, 3.86)vs. White Sox: First gameAt Guaranteed Rate Field: First gameHates to face: None Newsroom GuidelinesNews TipsContact UsReport an Error
Loves to face: NoneWHITE SOX RHP CHRIS VOLSTAD (1-0, 1.08)vs. Angels: First gameAt Guaranteed Rate Field: 0-1, 4.50Hates to face: Justin Upton, 4 for 7 (.571)Loves to face: Albert Pujols, 1 for 8 (.125)