Oil Inventories Rose by 951,000 Barrels

US oil stockpiles rose last week, intensifying worries about the demand outlook at a time when traders weigh up weather-related supply disruptions, which have shut-in production in the Gulf of Mexico.

US crude inventories rose by 951,00 barrels last week, according to an estimate released by the American Petroleum Institute, after a draw of 831,000 barrels the previous week.

The build comes a day ahead of the official government report expected to show weekly U.S. crude supplies rose by 294,000 barrels last week.