Oil settles lower as U.S. inventories disappoint market - Reuters

Oil settles lower as U.S. inventories disappoint market - Reuters:

Crude prices declined slightly on Wednesday as U.S. government data showed inventories drew down less than an industry report had suggested on Tuesday.

Brent crude rallied to its highest level this year early in the session, bolstered by an unexpected drop in U.S. crude inventories reported by trade group the American Petroleum Institute late on Tuesday. However, official data from the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday showed a 1.4 million-barrel crude drawdown, about half the API’s reported decline.

“The rally overnight was predicated on a 3 million-barrel-per-day draw in crude that did not materialize,” said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York. “You’re going to need another catalyst.”

Brent crude futures settled down 10 cents at $71.62 a barrel. During the session, the contract touched $72.27 a barrel, the highest this year.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled down 29 cents per barrel at $63.76 a barrel. The contract touched an intraday high of $64.61 a barrel, just shy of a 2019