Oil broadly steady after surprise US crude stock drop

LONDON, Mar 21 (Reuters): Oil prices were broadly steady on Thursday, as a surprise US crude stock drop and the US Federal Reserve sticking to its outlook on rate cuts for the year offered support.

Brent crude futures for May were down 3 cents to $85.92 a barrel by 0929 GMT. They fell by 1.6 per cent on Wednesday.

US West Texas Intermediate futures for May were down 10 cents, or 0.1 per cent, to $81.17 a barrel after a fall of about 1.8 per cent in the previous session.

Crude inventories in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, fell for a second week, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported on Wednesday.

Stockpiles unexpectedly declined by 2 million barrels to 445 million barrels in the week ended March 15, as exports rose and refiners continued to increase activity. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 13,000-barrel rise.

"It seems that the bullish mantra is still intact, with yet another unexpected drawdown in US crude inventories last week while market participants continue to price for the risks of further supply disruption on the Russia-Ukraine front, said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.

Gasoline inventories fell for a seventh week, down 3.3 million barrels to 230.8 million, suggesting steady strong fuel demand. Oil refinery runs ramped up by 127,000 barrels per day and utilisation rates rose.

Investors also took heart from the US central bank, which held interest rates in a range of 5.25 per cent to 5.50 per cent on Wednesday, but kept to an outlook for three rate cuts this year.

Lower rates could boost economic growth, in good news for oil sales.

Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries also prompted investors to trade crude at higher prices, factoring in that the strikes could hit global petroleum supplies.

Ukrainian drones have targeted at least seven Russian refineries this month. The attacks have shut down 7 per cent, or around 370,500 barrels per day, of Russian refining capacity, according to Reuters calculations.

Analysts say prolonged disruptions could force Russian producers to reduce supply if they are unable to export crude oil and face storage constraints.

Elsewhere, Germany's economic downturn eased slightly in March as business activity in the service sector came close to stabilising, a preliminary survey showed on Thursday.