Crude inventories fell by 846,000 barrels to 425.2 million barrels in the week ended August 23, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.3 million-barrel draw.
Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub fell by 668,000 barrels in the week, the EIA said.
Refinery crude runs rose by 175,000 barrels per day, the EIA said.
Refinery utilization rates rose by 1 percentage point.
U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 2.2 million barrels in the week to 218.4 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.6 million-barrel draw.
Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 0.3 million barrels in the week to 123.1 million barrels, versus expectations for a 1.1 million-barrel drop, the EIA data showed.
Net U.S. crude imports rose last week by 282,000 barrels per day, EIA said.
(Reporting by Georgina McCartney in Houston)