Crude oil down $2 a barrel after surprise stockpile jump

(Reuters) - Oil prices fell $2 a barrel in New York trade on Wednesday after government data showed a large surprise build in crude oil inventories last week versus traders' bets for a stockpile drop.

Benchmark Brent crude's front-month contract was down $2.10 at $59.59 a barrel by 10:35 a.m. ET (1535 GMT) after a session low at $59.37. Front-month U.S. crude slipped $1.85 to $55.27, after a session bottom at $55.07.

Crude inventories rose by 7.3 million barrels in the last week, compared with analysts' expectations for an decrease of 2.3 million barrels, datafrom the Energy Information Administration showed. [EIA/S]

(Reporting By Barani Krishnan)