Oil prices keep climbing even as Omicron COVID-19 variant fans out

MELBOURNE: Oil NSE 0.44 % prices rose on Thursday for a third straight day, underpinned by a weaker dollar NSE 0.89 % on optimism about global growth, even as governments from Australia to Europe step up curbs to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 35 cents, or 0.5%, to $73.11 a barrel at 0244 GMT after jumping 2.3% in the previous session.