US ethanol production averaged 1.057 million b/d in the week ended November 3, up 1,000 b/d from the previous week, Energy Information Administration data showed Wednesday.
Compared with a year earlier, production was 55,000 b/d, or 5.49%, higher.
Total stockpiles slid for the fourth time in five weeks. Inventories shed 129,000 barrels to 21.345 million barrels. Total inventories were 2.116 million barrels above last year's level.
The Midwest and Gulf Coast were the only regions to build inventory. The Midwest added 288,000 barrels to climb to its highest since June. The Gulf Coast added 309,000 barrels. The East Coast saw the biggest decline, shedding 486,000 barrels. The West Coast declined 224,000 barrels.
The four-week rolling average of gasoline demand, represented by product supplied, rose 40,000 b/d to 9.352 million b/d, while the weekly average rose 35,000 b/d to 9.496 million b/d.
The four-week rolling average of the refiner and blender net ethanol rose fell 5,000 b/d to 924,000 b/d, while the weekly average declined to 918,000 b/d, a 12,000 b/d drop.
The four-week rolling average of the ethanol blending rate -- calculated by dividing the four-week rolling averages of the net ethanol input and gasoline demand -- slid to 9.73% from 9.94%, 0.21 percentage points below the blend wall.
The blend wall is the notional 10% limit on ethanol blending driven by infrastructure and policy constraints.
