Despite the surprise 1.3 million-barrel drop in DOE crude stocks for last week, inventories in the market remain near April 1999 highs.

Crude inventories remain sturdy, despite today's unexpected drop.

The drop in crude was a surprise and was a little supportive to prices, but the market was completely overwhelmed by the build in products. It's unusual at this time of year to see distillate fuels rise.

The markets are bracing for Thursday's DOE reports, with traders cringing since the recent (supply) trends have been bearish.

The market can go higher, led by commodities stocks. Metals price should stay strong as most have low inventories and the trend is up for gold.

This could be almost worse than Katrina because there are 4 million barrels of refining in Texas areas, much more than there was in New Orleans. (Texas) is the other major refining heart.