WTI Oil Snaps 3-day Skid, Even As Inventories Build

Crude-oil futures eked out a modest gain Wednesday after trading in negative territory for much of the day as investors wrestled with a higher-than-expected build in inventories. West Texas Intermediate oil for June delivery , settled, 13 cents, or 0.3%, higher at $43.78 a barrel. The advance for crude came during an up-and-down session, which had been supported earlier by wildfires in oil-rich Alberta, Canada. The fires, which emerged late Tuesday, were forcing reductions in crude production in that region, which is supportive for oil prices.