(Reuters) - U.S. front-month May crude futures extended gains to $2 on Friday in the first half hour of the open outcry trading session in New York as improved German business sentiment eased immediate concern about a spreading euro-zone debt crisis.
U.S. May crude, set to expire on Friday, was up $1.77 at $104.04 a barrel at 9:25 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT), having traded from $102.45 to $104.27, where it was up $2 but remained below the front-month crude 50-day moving average of $104.77. (Reporting by Robert Gibbons; Editing by Alden Bentley)
