Futures increased 3.1 percent after G 20 and International Monetary Fund officials said the IMF may bolster its lending resources to help stem the crisis. U.S. retail sales advanced 1.1 percent last month, the Commerce Department said today. Brent oil in London traded at a record premium to West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, for the second straight day.
“The debt crisis is far from over but it appears that they are making progress, which is bullish for oil,” said Michael Wittner, the head of oil market research at Societe Generale SA in New York. “Economic data, especially in the U.S., has improved recently. It’s now mixed, rather than negative.”
Crude oil for November delivery rose $2.57 to $86.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement since Sept. 20. Prices climbed 4.6 percent this week and have dropped 5 percent in 2011.....Read the entire Bloomberg article.
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