Crude oil jumps by almost $3 on mixed supply report

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Oil prices rose to a new record Wednesday as traders mostly looked past a mixed inventory report to focus on continued geopolitical instability and currency issues.

Light, sweet crude for August delivery rose $2.60 to settle at a record $143.57 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The August contract briefly touched an intraday high of $143.91 late in the session before falling back slightly.

The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) weekly inventory report showed crude supplies fell slightly more than expected while gasoline stockpiles unexpectedly rose.

–By CNNMoney.com's Ben Rooney