U.S. crude oil stockpiles were expected to have dropped last week, where as gasoline and distillates inventories were seen higher, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday.

Seven analysts polled by Reuters estimated on average that crude inventories dropped by about 3.9 million barrels in the week to Dec. 9.

The poll was conducted ahead of reports from the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, due at 4:30 p.m. ET (2130 GMT) on Tuesday, and the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, due at 10:30 a.m. (1530 GMT) on Wednesday.

Crude inventories USOILC=ECI fell by 5.2 million barrels in the week to Dec. 2 to 413.9 million barrels, a decline that far exceeded analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 3.3 million-barrel drop.

Analysts estimated that stockpiles of gasoline USOILG=ECI rose by about 2.5 million barrels last week.

Distillate inventories USOILD=ECI, which include diesel and heating oil, were expected to have increased by 2.3 million barrels last week.

The rate of refinery utilization USOIRU=ECI was seen 0.2 percentage point lower from 95.5% of total capacity for the week ended Dec. 2, the poll found.
All figures for stocks are in millions of barrels. Refinery runs change is measured in percentage points.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Rahul Paswan in Bengaluru;)