Crude oil prices rose Wednesday as Fed held interest rates steady

A couple of things affected the price of crude oil on Wednesday, keeping any large gains from occurring.

One was U.S. government data showing a draw on fuel inventories while at the same time U.S. crude stocks rose. At the same time, there was the impact of the Federal Reserve move to hold interest rates steady.

West Texas Intermediate crude finished up 26 cents or 0.39% at $67.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude gained 22 cents or 0.31% to close at $70.78 a barrel.

Natural gas gained 4.81% on a 20 cent increase to $4.25 per MMBtu.

The majority of Oklahoma energy stocks scored gains in Wednesday’s trading. Matrix Service Co. rose 5% and Gulfport Energy Corp. scored a 4% boost for the day.