U.S. crude stocks rose last week as refineries cut output, while gasoline stocks decreased and distillate inventories fell, the Energy Information Administration said on Thursday. Crude inventories rose by 614,000 barrels in the week to Dec. 23, compared with expectations for an decrease of 2.1 million barrels. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub rose by 172,000 barrels, EIA said. Refinery crude runs fell by 101,000 barrels per day, EIA data showed. Refinery utilization rates fell by 0.5 percentage points. Gasoline stocks fell by 1.6 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.3 million-barrel gain. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 1.9 million barrels, versus expectations for a 1.8 million-barrel increase, the EIA data showed. U.S. crude imports fell last week by 374,000 […]