API data reportedly show a hefty drop in U.S. crude supplies
The American Petroleum Institute reported Tuesday that U.S. crude supplies dropped by 7.4 million barrels for the week ended Dec. 8, according to sources. The API data showed a rise of 2.3 million barrels in gasoline stockpiles, while inventories of distillates rose 1.5 million 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 4 million barrels for crude inventories. They also forecast a rise of 1.6 million barrels for gasoline and an increase of 500,000 barrels for distillate supplies. January crude was at $57.50 a barrel in electronic trading, up from the settlement of $57.14 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
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