Crude futures climbed above US$51 a barrel on Thursday after the U.S. government reported that the nation's crude inventories had fallen, surprising traders who had expected another rise. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude for July delivery were up 15 cents at US$51.13 at late afternoon in Singapore. Heating oil prices fell marginally to US$1.4263 a gallon (3.8 liters), while unleaded gas rose to US$1.4530 a gallon. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's midweek petroleum data showed U.S. commercial crude oil inventories fell 1.6 million barrels to 332.4 million barrels in the week ending May 20 from the previous week.
