Published December 24, 2014 11:32am EST | Updated January 8, 2015 3:06pm EST

U.S. Oil Inventories Show Unexpected Rise; Crude Prices Fall 2%

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories rose by 7.3 million barrels over the previous week, the Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. On average, analysts had expected a decline of 1.8 million barrels. Crude oil for February delivery declined by $1.29, or 2.2%, to $55.83 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.