Oil Prices Fall As Sources Say API Data Show An Unexpected Rise In U.S. Crude Supply

The American Petroleum Institute reported Tuesday a climb of 851,000 barrels in U.S. crude supplies for the week ended June 23, according to sources. The market was generally expecting a decline in weekly crude inventories as Tropical Storm Cindy disrupted production in the Gulf of Mexico last week. The API data also showed a rise of 1.4 million barrels in gasoline supplies, while inventories of distillates were up 678,000 barrels, sources said. Supply data from the Energy Information Administration will be released Wednesday morning. Analysts polled by S&P Global Platts expect the EIA to report a decline of 3.25 million barrels in crude inventories. August crude was at $43.76 a barrel in electronic trading, down from the contract’s settlement of $44.24 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.