Oil Turns Higher After EIA Reports An Unexpected Drop In U.S. Crude Supplies

Oil futures turned higher on Wednesday after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a 3.4 million-barrel decline in crude-oil supplies for the week ended May 6. The American Petroleum Institute late Tuesday had reported a 3.45 million-barrel increase, while analysts polled S&P Global Platts expected a 300,000-barrel increase. Gasoline supplies fell by 1.2 million barrels, while distillate stockpiles were down 1.6 million barrels last week, according to the EIA. June crude was at $45.12 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 46 cents, or 1%. Prices traded lower at $44.22 before the data.