The EIA reported a draw of -1,725 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a build of +1,322 MBbls, as reported by Bloomberg.
Prices were down in the five minutes following the announcement, to $83.62 from $84.05 just before 09:30 AM.
Inventories for the U.S. are now at a surplus of 10.80 MMBbls (2.5%) to last year and a deficit of 7.50 MMBbls (-1.7%) to the five-year average.
