The EIA reported a build of +1,825 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a draw of -1,922 MBbls as reported by Bloomberg.
Prices were unchanged in the five minutes following the announcement, to $77.87 from $77.87 just before 09:30 AM.
Inventories for the U.S. are now at a surplus of 1.90 MMBbls (0.4%) to last year, and a deficit of 14.70 MMBbls (-3.1%) to the five-year average.
