By Claudia Assis
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Crude-oil futures clung to losses Wednesday after a government report showed a larger-than-expected build-up in inventories. Oil for May delivery, the most actively traded contract, was down $1.26, or 1.5%, at $80.63 a barrel. Ahead of the report, the contract traded at $80.45. A report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed crude oil inventories rose by 7.245 million barrels last week, while analysts polled by Platts expected crude stocks up 1.67 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles declined by 2.7 million barrels, while analysts expected a decline of 1.88 million barrels.
