NEW YORK, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Crude futures rose above 100 dollars a barrel Thursday after the U.S. government reported a larger-than-expected decline in crude oil inventories.
As of 11:48 a.m. EST, light, sweet crude for February delivery rose 43 cents to 100.05 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange floor trading.
The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said oil inventories fell by 4 million barrels last week, much higher than a 1.7 million-barrel-decline which analysts expected.
Inventories of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel fuel, rose by 600,000 barrels. Stockpiles of gasoline rose by 1.9 million barrels.
Crude futures briefly hit the 100-dollar landmark Wednesday on concerns of tight supply and weak U.S. dollar.
As of 11:48 a.m. EST, light, sweet crude for February delivery rose 43 cents to 100.05 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange floor trading.
The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said oil inventories fell by 4 million barrels last week, much higher than a 1.7 million-barrel-decline which analysts expected.
Inventories of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel fuel, rose by 600,000 barrels. Stockpiles of gasoline rose by 1.9 million barrels.
Crude futures briefly hit the 100-dollar landmark Wednesday on concerns of tight supply and weak U.S. dollar.
