Oil prices rose today after a mixed US energy report and after the US Federal Reserve signalled it would keep its near-zero benchmark interest rates unchanged for now.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for July delivery grew 67 cents to $60.59 a barrel compared with yesterday's close.
Brent North Sea crude for August won 87 cents to stand at $64.74 a barrel in London deals.
The US Department of Energy yesterday said the country's crude reserves fell 2.7 million barrels last week, the seventh decline in a row.
Dealers have been hoping that a drawdown of the US' burgeoning commercial reserves coupled with a slowdown in its shale output could whittle down excess global supplies.
A surplus of US stocks was one of the reasons oil prices collapsed by over 50% between June and January.
Crude investors are also digesting the Fed's indication that it will maintain near-zero interest rates for now and adopt a cautious and methodical approach to raising them later in the year.
Interest rate adjustments are closely watched by crude investors as an increase usually leads to a pick-up in the dollar.
A stronger greenback makes dollar-priced oil more expensive for buyers using weaker currencies, denting demand.
Elsewhere, Norway's central bank today cut its key interest rate to a record low 1% to counteract the impact of lower oil prices on the economy, and warned of a possible further cut.
The Scandinavian country, whose oil sector represents more than 20% of gross domestic product, has suffered from an almost 40% drop in oil prices since June 2014.
With oil companies reducing their investments, more than 20,000 jobs have disappeared in the sector since January 2014.
