U.S. oil stocks increased for a second consecutive week, albeit modestly, despite a bump in demand alongside a recovery in economic activity and ongoing coronavirus vaccine rollouts.

In its Weekly Petroleum Status Report (WPSR), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Wednesday that crude inventories for the week ended April 23 — excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — rose by 100,000 bbl week/week. At 493.1 million bbl, U.S. stocks were on par with the five-year average.

The agency reported overall demand increased nearly 9% week/week. Gasoline consumption declined, though the previous week marked the highest total of 2021. Analysts said demand for motor fuels ebbs and flows from one week to the next, but overall, it is recovering notably this year....