West Texas Intermediate traded near a three-day high before a government report forecast to show crude stockpiles dropped for a second week in the U.S., the world’s biggest oil consumer. Brent advanced in London. Futures rose 0.3 percent in New York. Crude inventories probably shrank by 2.5 million barrels to 360 million last week, according to a Bloomberg News survey before data from the Energy Information Administration today. The American Petroleum Institute was said to have reported that supplies fell by 1.3 million barrels. Iran is joining efforts to back Iraqi Kurds battling Islamic State militants who have captured swathes of northern Iraq. “That crude draw from last night did support WTI a little,” Andrey Kryuchenkov , an analyst at VTB Capital in London, said by e-mail. Prices will “hold well” if the Energy Department data is similar, he said. WTI for October delivery was at $94.12 a barrel […]