U.S. crude stocks and distillate inventories rose while gasoline inventories fell, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.

Crude inventories rose by 4.3 million barrels in the week to March 11 to 415.9 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.4 million-barrel drop.

Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub rose by 1.8 million barrels in the last week, EIA said.

Refinery crude runs rose by 224,000 barrels per day in the last week, EIA said.

Refinery utilization rates rose by 1.1 percentage points, in the week.

U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 3.6 million barrels in the week to 241 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.6 million-barrel drop.

Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 332,000 barrels in the week to 114.2 million barrels, versus expectations for a 1.8 million-barrel drop, the EIA data showed.

Net U.S. crude imports fell last week by 438,000 barrels per day, EIA said.
Source: Reuters (Reporting By David Gaffen)