Oil rose in New York after China’s manufacturing index unexpectedly rose, boosting optimism that the world’s second-biggest crude consumer is withstanding Europe’s debt crisis. Futures rose as much as 0.5 percent after China’s purchasing managers’ index increased to 50.5 from 50.3 in December, exceeding the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey for a reading below the 50 level that divides expansion from contraction. Oil fell for a third day yesterday after the government said consumer confidence and business activity cooled in the U.S. Data from the American Petroleum Institute indicated oil stockpiles rose to the highest level since November. Crude for March delivery increased as much as 51 cents to $98.99 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and traded at $98.97 at 4:40 p.m. Singapore time. The contract yesterday declined 0.3 percent to $98.48 a barrel, the lowest since Jan. 20. Prices slid 0.4 percent in January, falling for a second month. Brent oil for March settlement gained 56 cents to $111.54 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark contract’s premium to West Texas Intermediate futures traded at $12.51, compared with a record spread of $27.88 on Oct. 14. The European Union said last month it will ban Iranian oil imports starting in July and freeze the assets of the country’s central bank as part of sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation’s nuclear program. Iran’s Foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi said this week that the International Atomic Energy Agency team would be visiting some of the country’s nuclear sites and could extend its stay if it needed to. Iranian Risk Premium “We still have a significant Iranian risk premium,� Phil Flynn, vice president of research at PFGBest in Chicago, said in an e-mailed response to questions. Oil in New York has technical resistance along the 50-day moving average around $99.17 a barrel today, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Futures settled below that indicator in the previous two days. Investors tend to sell contracts close to chart-resistance levels. U.S. crude inventories rose by 2.1 million barrels last week to 339.5 million barrels, the highest since the week ended Nov. 11, data from the American Petroleum Institute showed yesterday. An Energy Department report today may show they increased by 2.6 million barrels, according to the median of 12 analyst estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Gasoline supplies are projected to rise 500,000 barrels, according to the survey. The API collects stockpile information on a voluntary basis from operators of refineries, bulk terminals and pipelines. The Energy Department requires that reports be filed for its weekly survey, which is scheduled to be released at 10:30 a.m. in Washington today. U.S. drivers bought 8.51 million barrels a day of gasoline in the week ended Jan. 27, according to MasterCard Inc.’s SpendingPulse report on Jan. 31. While that was up from 8.48 million the prior week, fuel demand fell below year-earlier levels for the 22nd consecutive time last week, declining 5.5 percent from 2011, the report said. To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Sharples in Melbourne at bsharples@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Anderson in Singapore at manderson34@bloomberg.net.

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