Crude inventories fell by 6.4 million barrels to 453.6 million barrels in the week ended April 19, the EIA said, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 825,000-barrel rise.
Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub fell by 659,000 barrels in the week ended April 19, the EIA said.
Refinery crude runs fell by 42,000 barrels per day in the week ended April 19, the EIA said.
Refinery utilization rates rose by 0.4 percentage points in the week.
U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 0.6 million barrels in the week to 226.7 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.8 million-barrel draw.
Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 1.6 million barrels in the week to 116.6 million barrels, versus expectations for a 1.1 million-barrel drop, the EIA data showed.
Net U.S. crude imports fell last week by 417,000 barrels per day, EIA said.
(Reporting by Georgina McCartney in Houston)