The EIA reported a build of +3,730 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a draw of -1,500 MBbls as reported by Bloomberg. Prices were down in the five minutes following the announcement, to $78.60 from $78.69 just before 09:30 AM. Inventories for the U.S. are now at a surplus of 47.80 MMBbls (11.4%) to last year, and a deficit of 2.80 MMBbls (-0.6%) to the five-year average.
