The American Petroleum Institute reported late Tuesday that U.S. crude supplies fell by 4.3 million barrels for the week ended March 18, according to sources. The API also reportedly showed weekly inventory declines of 626,000 barrels for gasoline and 826,000 barrels for distillates. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Okla., delivery hub were up by 646,000 barrels last week, sources said. Inventory data from the Energy Information Administration will be released Wednesday. On average, the EIA is expected to show crude inventories unchanged for the week, according to analysts polled by S&P Global Commodity Insights. The survey also showed expectations for weekly supply declines of 1.7 million barrels for gasoline and 1.4 million barrels for distillates. Oil prices extended their losses in the electronic trading session after the API data. May West Texas Intermediate crude was at $108.44 a barrel in electronic trading, after settling Tuesday at $109.27 on the New York Mercantile.
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