* U.S. stockpiles down 3.1 mln barrels last week - API
* U.S. oil discount to Brent hits narrowest since Jan
* Traders eye Fed policy meeting in next two days
* Coming up: EIA stocks data at 1430 GMT (Updates prices, detail)
By Lisa Barrington
LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Oil rose more than 2 percent on Wednesday after an unexpected drawdown in U.S. stockpiles, an increase in U.S. gasoline prices, and on the back of rising global markets.
But concerns remained about a global surplus, falling Asian demand and whether the U.S. Federal Reserve would raise interest rates.
The Labor Department said on Wednesday its consumer price index fell 0.1 percent last month, the first decline since January, pointing to tame inflation that complicates the Fed's decision whether to raise rates. ID:nL1N11M0RR
U.S. crude futures strengthened after the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a 3.1-million-barrel drop in crude inventories last week, versus analyst expectations for an increase. API/S
"It is a big data week," CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said. "We are likely seeing a bit of position adjustment ahead of key market data."
Official U.S. crude inventory figures will be released on Wednesday at 1430 GMT. ID:nL5N11L0WF EIA/S
Front-month U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 for October traded $1.35 higher at $45.94 per barrel at 1350 GMT, with U.S. gasoline prices RBc1 up for a second straight day after a fall of around 10 percent since the start of the month.
Brent crude LCOc1 for November was up $1.54 at $49.29 a barrel. The Brent October contract expired on Tuesday.
Global stock markets rose ahead of a U.S. Fed two-day session to decide whether to raise rates for the first time in a decade.
Higher U.S. interest rates would likely attract cash from money traders, lifting the dollar. That could be bearish for oil markets as it would raise prices for holders of other currencies. ID:nL4N11M01H
The prospect of falling U.S. oil production as prices skim six-year lows has narrowed the gap between benchmark U.S. and Brent crude futures. ID:nL1N11H1CT ID:nL5N11L310 ID:nL5N11L26U
The Brent-WTI spread CL-LCO1=R between the two prompt months shrank on Tuesday to around $1.45 a barrel, the narrowest since January, when WTI briefly cost more than Brent.
"We believe that this could be the market's reaction to the decline in U.S. crude production (drilling) ... further exacerbated as Iranian crude could be entering the market, which puts heavy pressure on the global benchmark (Brent)," said Daniel Ang, analyst at Singapore-based Phillip Futures.
Iranian crude stored in tankers could quickly enter world markets once sanctions against Tehran are lifted.
Oil prices have fallen by almost 60 percent since June 2014 on concerns about oversupply and slowing Asian demand, factors that continue to weigh on prices.