Urgent: U.S. oil inventories rise more than expected.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration released on Thursday showed that U.S. oil inventories for the week ending February 14 experienced a significant increase that exceeded market expectations. According to the data, U.S. crude oil inventories rose by 4.633 million barrels during the past week, surpassing expectations that indicated an increase of only about 3.0 million barrels. This rise follows an increase of 4.07 million barrels in the previous week. This came at a time when West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose by 1.07%, reaching a price of $72.84 per barrel, while Brent crude futures increased by 1.04% to record $76.82, amid expectations that OPEC+ may delay planned oil increases until after April. U.S. oil inventory data is extremely important in the markets, given its crucial role in determining trends in crude oil prices. Additionally, fluctuations in petroleum product prices directly impact inflation rates, as well as affecting industrial sectors that rely on oil as a primary energy source.