Crude-oil futures advanced on Friday, 26 September 2014 with market participants suggesting that weak oil prices appear to have largely stabilized. Upbeat economic data pushed prices higher.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude futures for delivery in November rose 33 cents, or 0.4%, to $92.86 a barrel, and the U.S. benchmark was on pace for a weekly gain of 1.3%.
An increase in Libyan oil production was still seen as weighing on prices. But this increase is expected to be offset by strong West African crude flows out of the region to Asia, where oil refiners are ramping up crude purchases ahead of the peak winter season.
In U.S. economic news on Friday, the Commerce Department said the economy grew at a 4.6% annual pace in the second quarter, revising its estimate up from 4.2%. Market had predicted GDP would be revised up to a seasonally adjusted 4.7%.
Separately, the final September reading on the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters consumer sentiment index remained steady at the highest level since July 2013 and well above a final August level of 82.5.
Nymex reformulated gasoline blend-stock for October fell 4 cents, or 1.4%, to $2.68 a gallon.
The dollar kept up its momentum as data showed the U.S. economy grew 4.6% in the second quarter, on an annual basis, matching the best performance since the recession ended in mid-2009. The dollar's recent gains have dulled gold's attraction. Stocks were also on the rise Friday, coming off the steepest drop in two months.
Dollar Index continued charging higher to extend this week's gain to 1.1%. The index will enter the final two sessions of the month after surging 3.6% so far in September.