MUSCAT : Brent crude futures rose 13 cents, or 0.19%, to settle at $66.97 a barrel, extending gains from the previous session when they climbed 1.6%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also moved higher, up 15 cents, or 0.24%, to $62.86 a barrel, after a 1.4% rise the day before.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that crude inventories fell by six million barrels last week to 420.7 million barrels, far exceeding analysts’ expectations of a 1.8 million-barrel decline. Gasoline stockpiles also dropped by 2.7 million barrels, compared with forecasts of just 915,000, underscoring strong demand during the summer driving season.

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