The EIA reported a draw of -2,191 MBbls in U.S. crude-oil inventories. In contrast, the market expected a build of +1,496 MBbls as reported by Bloomberg.
Prices were up in the five minutes following the announcement, to $70.95 from $70.86 just before 10:00 AM.
Inventories for the U.S. are now at a surplus of 0.20 MMBbls (0.0%) to last year, and a deficit of 21.10 MMBbls (-4.8%) to the five-year average.
