U.S. crude inventories posted a smaller decline than analysts' expectations last week, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Crude oil stockpiles fell 800,000 barrels to 377.4 million barrels, compared with an average survey estimate calling for a decline of 1.1 million barrels. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, reported a 2.01 million barrel draw in its weekly report released Tuesday.

Oil futures rose following the report to recently trade up 45 cents, or 0.5%, to $89.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gasoline futures rose 4.30 cents to $2.8880 a gallon. Heating oil futures rose 2.44 cents to $2.8666 a gallon.

Gasoline stockpiles fell by 1.8 million barrels to 205.9 million barrels, the department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report, compared with an increase of 800,000 barrels forecast in a Dow Jones Newswires survey of analysts.

Distillate stocks, which include heating oil and diesel fuel, rose 2.6 million barrels to 123.5 million barrels, compared with analysts' forecast of an increase of 1.3 million barrels.

Refining capacity utilization fell 0.7 percentage point to 92%. Analysts had expected a 0.1 percentage point increase.

API pegged refinery utilization at 91.7% last week, down from 93.2%. The industry group reported stockpiles of gasoline fell 116,000 barrels and distillates rose by 3.378 million barrels.
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