MW: Crude adds nearly 1% on positive U.S. macro data
By Claudia Assis
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Crude-oil futures added 0.7% on Thursday after a string of data, some of which surprised the markets on the positive side. Oil for August delivery CL1Q +0.79% rose 65 cents, or 0.7%, to $98.68 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Sales at U.S. retailers inched up 0.1% in June, the Commerce Department said, and the Labor Department reported a decrease in its wholesale producer index. Investors also cheered news that new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in three months.
