BEIJING – Brent crude futures for June delivery increased by 52 cents, or 0.47 percent, to 111.78 dollars a barrel. The more actively traded July contract rose by 0.4 percent to 104.84 dollars a barrel.
US West Texas Intermediate crude futures for June delivery gained 57 cents, or 0.57 percent, to 100.50 dollars a barrel, after rising 3.7 percent in the previous session.
Data from the American Petroleum Institute showed a decline in US crude oil inventories of about 1.79 million barrels for the week ending April 24. Gasoline inventories also recorded a sharp drop of 8.47 million barrels, while distillate inventories fell by approximately 2.60 million barrels.
