USA: Crude Oil Inventories Rise More than Expected.

US crude inventories rose by 5.5 million barrels to 461.6 million barrels in the week ended March 27, compared with analysts' expectations for a 814,000-barrel rise. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub rose by 520,000 barrels in the week. Refinery crude runs fell by 219,000 barrels per day, while utilization rates fell by 0.8 percentage points. US gasoline stocks fell by 0.6 million barrels in the week to 240.9 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations for a 1.9 million-barrel draw. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.1 million barrels in the week to 117.8 million barrels, versus expectations for a 0.6 million-barrel drop. Net US crude imports fell last week by 209,000 barrels per day.