Oil prices crawl up on demand recovery, tempered by coronavirus outbreaks
Oil prices rose in early trade on Friday, extending gains from the previous day on optimism about recovering fuel demand worldwide, despite surges in coronavirus infections in some US states and indications of a revival in US crude production.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 15 cents, or 0.4%, to $38.87 at 0009 GMT but were on track for a slight drop for the week.
Brent crude futures rose 22 cents, or 0.5%, to $41.27, but were also heading towards a decline for the week.
Analysts said satellite data showing strong pick-ups in traffic in China, Europe and across the United States pointed to a recovery in fuel demand.
