Total U.S. petroleum demand of 21.5 mb/d was highest for any month since August 2005; Improved infrastructure helped increase supply and lower prices; Highest U.S. petroleum exports (8.1 mb/d) for the month of August; and Total inventories increased year-on-year for the ninth consecutive month.

U.S. Rig Count is down 18 rigs from last week to 868, with oil rigs down 14 to 719, gas rigs down 5 to 148, and miscellaneous rigs up 1 to 1. Canada Rig Count is down 15 rigs from last week to 119, with oil rigs down 11 to 82 and gas rigs down 4 to 37.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects that U.S. wind capacity additions in both 2019 and in 2020 will be near the annual record level of additions set in 2012.

The U.S. current account deficit, which reflects the combined balances on trade in goods and services and income flows between U.S. residents and residents of other countries, narrowed by $8.0 billion, or 5.9 percent, to $128.2 billion in the second quarter of 2019, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The revised first quarter deficit was $136.2 billion.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced it has joined the International Maritime Security Construct to secure the Mideast's waterways.

The alliance protects the interests of its members and their merchant ships when passing through maritime corridors. Its operation area covers the Strait of Hormuz, Bab Al Mandab, the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Gulf.

Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh stressed the non-political nature of oil, saying the US was using oil as a weapon which was not the right approach.

The share of U.S. total energy consumption that originated from fossil fuels has fallen from its peak of 94% in 1966 to 80% in 2018. The total amount of fossil fuels consumed in the United States has also fallen from its peak of 86 quads in 2007. Since then, coal consumption decreased by 10 quads and petroleum by 2 quads, more than offsetting a 7 quad increase in natural gas consumption.

EDF and Westinghouse are looking at SMRs as a way of standardizing reactor construction after struggling with years of delay and billions of dollars of cost overruns on their big nuclear reactors, which have capacities upwards of 1,000 MW.

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. In light of the implications of global developments for the economic outlook as well as muted inflation pressures, the Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate to 1-3/4 to 2 percent.