Baker Hughes US Oil Rig Count comes in at 452, down from previous 455

The Baker Hughes US Oil Rig Count for the United States was reported at 452 for the week ending August 21, 2026. This figure represents a decrease from the previous week’s count of 455. No consensus figure was available for this release.

Following the release, market reactions were observed across major currency pairs and gold. One hour after the data, AUDUSD was up 4.9 pips, while EURUSD was down 1.9 pips. GBPUSD saw a rise of 6.3 pips, and NZDUSD was up 0.8 pips. USDCAD moved down 3.5 pips, USDCHF was up 1.0 pips, and USDJPY gained 5.4 pips. XAUUSD, or spot gold, registered a notable drop of 80 pips. For most USD pairs, these moves were relatively small compared to their historical median 1-hour moves after similar releases. However, XAUUSD’s 80 pip decline significantly exceeded its median 1-hour move of 15 pips, placing it well within the top-quarter of historical reactions.