Crude oil gained Wednesday after the reports of the Energy Department and the American Petroleum Institute that showed an unexpected drop in U.S. crude and gasoline inventories.

May crude futures added 11 cents, ending at $52.40 per barrel.

The Energy Department’s report indicated a decline in crude oil stockpiles for the first time in ten weeks. The Energy Department reported a drop in crude supplied totalling 1.8 million barrels in the week ended April 15, while the API said the inventories lost 5.4 million barrels. The Energy Department reported a 1.5 billion loss in gasoline supplies, as opposed to 1.4 million barrel decrease reported by the API.

The main driver behind the rise of oil futures is the gasoline consumption that runs in the US 1.7 percent higher than last year, while inventories have been falling for six straight weeks. China’s rising growth numbers also show that demand may rise.

``With fears of slowing demand in China having diminished, and a drop in U.S. inventories, prices are likely to continue their push higher,’’ said Daniel Hynes, a resources analyst at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Melbourne.