Rigzone: Crude Rises On Host Of Positive Economic News

Crude oil futures rose in volatile early trading Thursday on a host of bullish economic news, including a drop in initial jobless claims, an increase in business productivity and a European interest rate cut.

Light, sweet crude for December delivery was up $1.49, or 1.6%, at $94.00 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude on the ICE Futures Europe exchange was up $1.28, or 1.2%, at $110.62 a barrel.

The U.S. said initial jobless claims fell 9,000, to 397,000 in the week ended Oct. 29, slightly lower than analyst expectations of 400,000. Productivity for the quarter was up 3.1% at an annualized rate, and the ECB reduced interest rates by a 0.25 percentage point to 1.25%.

Summit Energy analyst Matt Smith called the European Central Bank's move an "absolutely fabulous curveball" and said it would likely be good for oil prices. "It shows that the ECB not only acknowledges the frailty of the region's economy, but is willing to take whatever steps needed to promote stability," he said in a note......Read the entire Rigzone article.


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