The EIA reported a draw of -3,341 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a build of +1,215 MBbls as reported by Bloomberg.
Prices were down in the five minutes following the announcement, to $69.85 from $69.89 just before 09:30 AM.
Inventories for the U.S. are now at a deficit of 13.70 MMBbls (-3.1%) to last year, and a deficit of 25.20 MMBbls (-5.5%) to the five-year average.
