The EIA reported a draw of -3,394 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a build of +1,471 MBbls as reported by Bloomberg.
Prices were down in the five minutes following the announcement, to $112.47 from $113.39 just before 09:30 AM.
Inventories for the U.S. are now at a deficit of 65.00 MMBbls (-13.4%) to last year, and a deficit of 67.70 MMBbls (-13.9%) to the five-year average.
