West Texas Intermediate traded near the highest price in a week after crude inventories shrank for the first time since March in the U.S., the world’s biggest oil consumer. Brent was steady in London . Futures were little changed in New York after rising 1.3 percent yesterday. Crude stockpiles fell by 1.78 million barrels last week as supplies at Cushing, Oklahoma , the delivery point for WTI, dropped to the lowest level since December 2008, the Energy Information Administration reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin called on separatists in Ukraine to postpone a vote for autonomy and said he pulled troops from the country’s border after weeks of tension. “There could be seasonal factors underlying that draw in inventories,” said Michael McCarthy , a chief strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney who predicts investors may sell West Texas contracts if prices climb to $103 a barrel. “The picture at Cushing […]