Crude oil rose as cold weather spurred heating demand in the U.S. and militants took 26 hostages in Nigeria, threatening supplies from Africa's largest producer.
Temperatures are likely to fall below normal in the eastern U.S. during February as an El Nino weather pattern weakens, according to the Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Maryland. In Nigeria, kidnappers seized 24 Filipinos, an American and a Briton, according to Nigerian and Philippine authorities.
The price of oil ``turned positive because there's colder weather,'' said Christopher Bellew, a broker with Bache Financial Ltd. in London. ``We should see drawdowns in heating oil inventories,'' he said.
Crude oil for March delivery rose as much as 97 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $53.55 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $53.33 at 2:52 p.m. in London. Brent crude oil for March gained as much as $1.03, or 2 percent, to $53.73 a barrel in electronic trading on the ICE Futures exchange in London and traded at $53.50.
Temperatures are likely to fall below normal in the eastern U.S. during February as an El Nino weather pattern weakens, according to the Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Maryland. In Nigeria, kidnappers seized 24 Filipinos, an American and a Briton, according to Nigerian and Philippine authorities.
The price of oil ``turned positive because there's colder weather,'' said Christopher Bellew, a broker with Bache Financial Ltd. in London. ``We should see drawdowns in heating oil inventories,'' he said.
Crude oil for March delivery rose as much as 97 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $53.55 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $53.33 at 2:52 p.m. in London. Brent crude oil for March gained as much as $1.03, or 2 percent, to $53.73 a barrel in electronic trading on the ICE Futures exchange in London and traded at $53.50.
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