
Crude oil rose to a two week high as the number of Americans filing jobless claims dropped and the dollar declined, bolstering the appeal of commodities as an inflation hedge. Oil climbed as much as 4.3 percent as Labor Department data showed that initial applications for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level since January. Gold increased to a record for a third day and other raw material prices gained as the U.S. currency declined to a two week low against the euro.
“Crude oil is tracking the behavior of other markets,” said Bill O’Grady, chief market strategist at Confluence Investment Management in St. Louis. “The jobs number was good. The recession is probably over and employment is a lagging indicator.” Crude oil for November delivery climbed $2.80, or 4 percent, to $72.37 a barrel at 12:38 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures touched $72.55, the highest since Sept. 18. Oil has traded between.....read the entire article







