Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High

New York, NY, May 29, 2009--Oil prices rose above $65 a barrel Friday to reach a fresh six-month high after the U.S. reported a fall in oil inventories and further signs of economic improvement.

Benchmark crude for July delivery was up 67 cents to $65.75 a barrel by late morning in Europe in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Thursday, the contract rose $1.63 to settle at $65.08, a six-month high and almost double the lows reached in March, when it fell below $35 a barrel.

The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration on Thursday said U.S. oil supplies dropped unexpectedly by 5.4 million barrels last week. Though crude inventories remain near 19-year highs, it was the third week in a row that supplies have fallen.

Investors were also cheered by signs the U.S. recession may be bottoming out. The government reported Thursday that demand for big-ticket manufactured goods in April had its biggest jump in 16 months. It was the second increase in the past three months and came after separate data showed the number of newly laid-off people requesting jobless benefits fell last week.