Crude inventories rose by 1.9 million barrels in the week ended March 19 to 502.7 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 272,000-barrel drop.
Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub fell by 1.9 million barrels in the last week, EIA said.Refinery utilization rates rose by 5.5 percentage points in the week. U.S. gasoline stocks rose by 203,000 barrels in the week to 232.3 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.2 million-barrel rise.
Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 3.8 million barrels in the week to 141.6 million barrels, versus expectations for a 122,000-barrel drop, the EIA data showed.Reporting By David Gaffen