U.S. crude oil inventories down last week: API

HOUSTON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The American Petroleum Institute (API) on Tuesday reported a decrease of 4.565 million barrels of crude oil in U.S. inventories for the week ending April 18.

The API reported a surge of 2.400 million barrels in the previous week.

The API indicator shows how much oil and product is available in storage, offering an overview of U.S. petroleum demand.

Oil prices climbed on Tuesday. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery increased by 1.23 U.S. dollars, or 1.95 percent, to settle at 64.31 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for June delivery added 1.18 dollars, or 1.78 percent, to settle at 67.44 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.