U.S. petroleum demand up in April

The overall petroleum demand in the United States edged up slightly in April, said a leading industry group in a report released on Thursday.

The total petroleum deliveries, a measure of demand, rose 0.3 percent in April from a year ago to average nearly 18.4 million barrels per day, said the American Petroleum Institute (API) in its monthly report.

"For the second month demand is up from a year ago," said API Chief Economist John Felmy. "Consumer confidence has improved and distillate deliveries are up, but gasoline demand remains weak."

In April, gasoline deliveries fell 3.9 percent from a year earlier to average 8.5 million barrels per day, the lowest April level since 2000.

In contrast, U.S. domestic crude oil production in April averaged nearly 7.3 million barrels per day, marking the highest April level in 21 years.

With the surging domestic energy production, imports of crude oil and refined products in April were below 10 million barrels per day, the lowest April level in 17 years.

The report also said that the April crude oil stocks of 388.9 million barrels were at its highest April level since 1981.

API represents more than 500 oil and natural gas companies that supply most of the U.S. energy and support an estimated 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy.