In the early morning of the 29th Beijing time, crude oil futures prices closed higher on Thursday. Investors are re-evaluating the latest US crude oil and gasoline inventory data.
US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.82 to close at $83.17 a barrel, or 2.24%.
Brent crude oil futures for May rose $1.39, or 1.61%, to close at $87.48 a barrel.
Both of these benchmark indices rose more than 2% this week, and both recorded their third consecutive month of closing.
According to data from the US Energy Information Administration (Energy Information Administration), US crude oil and gasoline inventories unexpectedly increased last week, driven by increased crude oil imports and weak gasoline demand. EIA data is putting pressure on oil prices.
However, the increase in crude oil inventories announced by the EIA was less than the increase predicted by the American Petroleum Institute.