By Himanshu Ojha
LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude oil retreated below $67 a barrel on Thursday as ample supplies weighed on prices and the impact faded of the first drawdown in U.S. crude inventories since January.
Brent crude was down 97 cents a barrel at $66.80 by 1353 GMT. It hit a 2015 high of $69.63 on Wednesday.
U.S. crude was down $1.17 at $59.76 a barrel. The contract had rallied more than $2 to a high of $62.58 in the previous session.
"While the latest draw and the recent slowdown in weekly builds in crude stocks have been seen as positive for the oil price, crude stocks remain exceedingly high," said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas.
U.S. crude stocks fell by 3.9 million barrels last week, the first drop in four months, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.
Stronger-than-expected demand growth and a slowdown in U.S. crude supply have boosted oil prices by 50 percent from a six-year low hit in January.
Physical markets, however, are showing a weaker underbelly, crude traders said, pointing to tens of millions of West African, Azeri and North Sea barrels struggling to find buyers.
"The recent rally has paused a bit and I think that's due to profit taking," said Myrto Sokou, senior analyst at London-based Sucden Financial.
The world's biggest oil exporters in OPEC meet in Vienna next month but are not expected to adjust production.
A senior OPEC delegate indicated on Wednesday the group would stick to a strategy of pursuing market share.
The delegate told Reuters the cartel wanted "to bring major non-OPEC producers to the table" to help balance the market.
(Additional reporting by Christopher Johnson in London and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by William Hardy)
