Oil prices firmed on Wednesday on signs of improving demand and a drawdown in U.S. crude inventories, but worries over the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and weak refining margins capped gains.

Brent crude futures LCoc1 were up 51 cents, or 1.47%, at $35.16 per barrel at 09:28 GMT.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) July crude futures CLc1 were up 22 cents, or 0.69%, at $32.18 a barrel.

The WTI June contract expired on Tuesday at $32.50 a barrel, up 2.1%, avoiding the chaos of last month’s May expiry, when prices sank well below zero.

U.S. crude inventories fell by 4.8 million barrels to 521.3 million barrels in the week to May 15, data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed on Tuesday.