Gasoline drips off a nozzle during refueling at a gas station in Altadena, California March 24, 2012. Strong growth in U.S. gasoline consumption has been one of the most important factors supporting oil prices in 2016, but some analysts question whether the official data is overstating the strength of gasoline demand. U.S. gasoline consumption has been running at a record seasonal rate since February, according to weekly data published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its “Weekly Petroleum Status Report” (WPSR). But the consumption figures are so high that some analysts question whether the gasoline is actually being exported rather than consumed domestically ( tmsnrt.rs/1ROcfvl ). The EIA’s oil-data collection programme is designed to track the flow of petroleum from the well head to the final consumer. Under authority that dates from the energy crisis of the 1970s, the agency collects information on domestic production, imports, exports, refining […]