The EIA reported a build of +3,165 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a draw of -704 MBbls as reported by Bloomberg.
Prices were up in the five minutes following the announcement, to $81.46 from $81.20 just before 09:30 AM.
Inventories for the U.S. are now at a deficit of 26.60 MMBbls (-5.6%) to last year, and a deficit of 9.90 MMBbls (-2.2%) to the five-year average.
