Oil inventories in the U.S. fell by 7.3 million barrels in the latest week, the Energy Information Administration said Thursday.
The drawdown snapped a streak of builds and confounded expectations for drop of fewer than 1 million barrels.
Imports for the week ended Nov. 30 fell by 1.7 million barrels.
Crude oil prices were down 3.2%, paring losses after the numbers were released.
