U.S. crude oil inventories increased more than expected last week as U.S. production hit a record high and exports fell, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Commercial crude oil stocks, excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, rose by 6.4 million barrels, to 427.6 million barrels, in the week ended Nov. 7, and were about 4% below the five-year average for the time of year, the EIA said. Analysts in a Wall Street Journal survey had expected a 400,000 barrel crude stock build.

U.S. crude oil production rose by 211,000 barrels a day, to just under 13.9 million barrels a day, the highest on record, according to EIA estimates. Crude imports were down by 703,000 barrels a day, at 5.2 million barrels a day, while exports fell by 1.6 million ba

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