U.S. crude oil inventories rise as fuel demand falls

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday that crude oil inventories in the United States rose as fuel demand fell.

It said crude stocks rose by 3.9 million barrels to 417 million in the week to Sept. 27.

It said crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub rose by 840,000 barrels.

It said refinery crude runs fell by 662,000 barrels per day, and refinery utilization rates fell 3.3 percentage points last week to 87.6 percent.

U.S. gasoline stocks rose by 1.1 million barrels to 221 million barrels.

The agency’s data showed that distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 1.3 million barrels to 122 million barrels.

The agency said net U.S. crude imports rose by 191,000 barrels per day last week.