The EIA reported a build of +3,889 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a draw of -633 MBbls as reported by Bloomberg.
Prices were modestly down in the five minutes following the announcement, to $71.63 from $71.90 just before 09:30 AM.
Inventories for the U.S. are now at a surplus of 2.60 MMBbls (0.6%) to last year, and a deficit of 19.00 MMBbls (-4.4%) to the five-year average.
