New York — Oil prices fell on Wednesday for a third day, after the US energy department said oil inventories rose for the first time in nearly three months, though crude futures remained on track for the fifth straight month of gains. US oil inventories rose 6.8-million barrels in the week to January 26, after 10 straight weeks of declines, which had dropped supply to its lowest levels since early 2015. The increase far exceeded expectations for a rise of 126,000 barrels. Analysts noted that refiners have been cutting activity while US crude production has kept rising. Oil prices faded immediately after the news, then retraced some losses when the data showed a surprising 2-million-barrel drawdown in petrol stocks, suggesting demand for products may be enough to limit seasonal inventory build-up. US crude futures were down 42c to $64.08 a barrel, a drop of 0.6% as of 4.13pm GMT, after hitting a low of $63.92 shortly after the release. Brent crude dropped 39c to $68.63 a barrel, a 0....

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